The 2019 EU elections

The Election Authority has information about the result of the Swedish EU elections. The European Parliament has information about the election results in the whole of the EU.

• The election results on the Election Authority’s website (Swedish)
• European election results on the European Parliament website (English)

The Election Authority counted how many seats each party had received on the basis of the votes, and which of the parties’ candidates had been elected to the new European Parliament. Only parties that had received more than 4 per cent of the votes were counted. Parties with fewer than 4 per cent of the votes did not get any seats in the European Parliament.

When the UK left the EU in 2020, Sweden was allocated one more seat, bringing the total to 21 seats in the European Parliament.

• The election results on the Election Authority’s website (in Swedish)
• European election results on the European Parliament website (in English)

2 July - the new electoral period began

The new electoral period began on 2 July, and the new European Parliament commenced its work with a meeting in Strasbourg, France. The Parliament started by electing Italian social democrat David Sassoli as its new President. It is the President who leads the work of the European Parliament. The members of the European Parliament (MEPs) then selected which committees they will work in, and the chairs of the various committees. Most MEPs are members of one committee, and deputy members (substitutes) of another.

New President of the European Commission

On 16 July, the Parliament approved the new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen from Germany. It is the heads of state and government of the EU member states in the European Council that propose the candidate for President of the Commission, but the proposal must be approved by the European Parliament. According to the EU treaties, the President's political opinions shall reflect the majority in the newly elected Parliament.

The new European Commission

In Sweden, it is the Government that proposes the European Commissioner from Sweden. In August, the Swedish Government proposed the current Minister for Employment Ylva Johansson as Sweden's new European Commissioner.

The incoming President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, together with the EU member states, put together a proposal for the composition of the new European Commission and who would be responsible for what in the Commission. The proposal for a new Commission was presented on 10 September.

In late September and early October, the proposed Commissioners were heard in the European Parliament committees, where they answered both written and oral questions. After the hearings, some of the original candidates were replaced. Supplementary hearings were therefore held in November.

The initial goal was that the new European Commission would start its work on 1 November 2019. However, as some Commissioners were replaced, the approval and starting date was delayed by a month.

The members of the European Parliament approved the new European Commission at a vote on 27 November. The new European Commission consequently took office on 1 December.

Many positions are filled after an EU election

After an election to the European Parliament, there are many positions in the EU that need to be filled with new people. As mentioned above, the Parliament has elected a new President and approved the new President of the European Commission. The entire European Commission has then been appointed and received one member from each member state, with the exception of the UK, which plans to leave the EU.

The heads of state and government in the European Council have also elected a new President to lead and coordinate the Council's work, the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. He took up his post on 1 December 2019.

Furthermore, a new “high representative” has been appointed, who also started his work on 1 December. The high representative leads the EU's work with foreign affairs and security policy and is also known as the EU's foreign minister. The European Council proposed the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell for the position of high representative. He was then approved by the President of the European Commission.

The French Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, has been appointed President of the European Central Bank (ECB). She took up her duties on 1 November 2019. The decision concerning this post is taken by the European Council, following consultation with the European Parliament and the Governing Council of the ECB.

You are entitled to vote in the elections to the European Parliament in Sweden if you are a Swedish citizen and you have reached the age of 18 by election day at the latest. You are also entitled to vote in the election to the European Parliament if you are a citizen of another EU member state and are registered in Sweden.

Vote in advance or vote on election day

The EU elections work in the same way as the elections to the municipalities, county councils and parliament in Sweden. A voting card is sent to you at your home and you can then either vote in advance or vote at a polling station on election day. You choose which party you would like to represent you in the European Parliament.

You can also vote for a specific person on the party list by putting a cross next to the name of the person on the voting slip. A particular party must receive at least 4 per cent of the votes to get into the European Parliament.

There are 705 members in the European Parliament from the EU’s 27 member states. They are known as MEPs (members of the European Parliament). They take part in the decision-making regarding EU laws and the EU budget.

The Swedish MEPs

21 Swedish MEPs represent the Swedish citizens. By voting in the EU elections, the citizens of the EU member states decide which political parties and members of parliament will take part in the decision-making in the European Parliament.

Swedish MEPs 2019–2024 on the European Parliament website

MEPs are part of their party groups

The members of the European Parliament debate EU matters and develop new EU laws. Each MEP is part of a party group. Each party group consists of MEPs with similar opinions.

In the Parliament, the MEPs sit together in their party groups, not together with other members from the same country. Parties of the left sit on the left and parties of the right on the right. The Greens and Liberal parties sit in the middle.

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