European election system

Approximately half of the EU member states currently have a threshold in place for European elections. On July 13, 2018, the European Council, with the approval of the European Parliament, agreed to introduce a mandatory threshold for all EU member states that allocate more than 35 seats in a constituency (in Germany, the entire country forms a constituency for European elections, with 96 seats being allocated). However, the amendment to the Direct Election Act still needs to be ratified by all member states, requiring a two-thirds majority of the members in the Bundestag and Bundesrat in Germany. After ratification, the EU member states must implement the electoral law amendment no later than the second subsequent European election. If the ratification happens before 2024, Germany could introduce the threshold for the European elections in 2024, but it must introduce it by the latest for the European elections in 2029.