European elections 2024: practical details for media on election days and night

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

• First estimated composition of new Parliament published approximately around 20.15-20.30 CEST 
• First provisional election results expected around 23.15-23.30 CEST 
• Group leaders and lead candidates will speak to the media during the evening 
• Daily off-the-record media briefings from Thursday 6 June to Monday 10 June 

Parliament is supporting media across Europe on their coverage in the run-up to the elections on 6-9 June, when it will also host journalists reporting from Brussels.

The main focus will be on election night on Sunday 9 June, when provisional election results will be released, but media will be welcome at the European Parliament before and after that date.

Daily media briefings on election days

Parliament’s press service will organise briefings for media, in physical presence and remotely via interactio, to provide background information about the European elections, including useful facts and figures about the Parliament.

Journalists will also get details on the methodology used by Parliament’s services to estimate the results, on measures to guarantee the elections’ integrity and the key political moments after the elections. The EP press service will also provide information on the transition to the next parliamentary term, including on pending legislative work, on the election of the Commission President and on the procedure to appoint the next College of Commissioners.

The schedule for these briefings is as follows:

• Thursday 6 June at 11.00: European elections at a glance
• Friday 7 June at 11.00: All you need to know about Parliament
• Saturday 8 June at 11.00: Election night
• Sunday 9 June at 11.00: All you need to know about the Parliament and the election night (only physical presence)
• Sunday 9 June at 17.30: on-the-record last-minute briefing on useful information for election night
• Monday 10 June at 11.00: Election provisional results and next steps (only physical presence)

Publication of provisional election results on Sunday 9 June

Provisional European election results can only be published after 23.00 CEST, when the last voting polls in Italy have closed. Before then, Parliament will issue estimations, based on pre-election and exit polls.

The plenary chamber in Brussels will be turned into a press room with a stage area and posts for TV stations, where information will be disseminated. Access will be limited to accredited media representatives and essential EP staff. Live audio-visual stand-up positions will also be located on the Karamanlis walkway and on rue Wiertz.

On election night, there will be a special programme on EbS, as well as streaming on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre starting at 17.30. The planned scheduled includes:

• a first set of available national estimates to be published around 18.15 CEST,
• the first projection of the new Parliament, expected around 20.15-20.30 CEST (indicative time), also based on national estimates and pre-election polls, and
• the first provisional results from some EU member states with estimates for the rest as well as a second seat projection, to be published at around 23.15-23.30 CEST (indicative time).

Updated projections will follow, as Parliament’s services receive information from national authorities. The last updated projection is expected at around 01.00 CEST on Monday 10 June.

A detailed schedule on estimates and provisional results will be published in the coming days.

All data will be available on the official election results website.

Leaders of the EP political groups and lead candidates for the position of Commission President will speak to the media during the evening. Political groups will also have their press teams available to respond to media requests and facilitate contacts. Find their contact details here.

Country-by-country information on the European elections

You can find individual pages on each of the EU member states with details on how the European elections are organised, lists, candidates and previous elections results via this link.

Accreditation and access on election night

All EU inter-institutional accredited media and EP annual media badge holders will have access to Parliament on election night upon presentation of their badges without having to request separate accreditation.

All other journalists wishing to attend election night will have to register a request for short-term media access via the online accreditation system (JOUREG). If they are already in possession of an EP media pass, the pass will be activated remotely once approved in the registrations portal. If they do not have an EP media pass, once the request is approved in JOUREG, they will be able to collect it from Monday 3 June and until Sunday 9 June from the Accreditation Centre in front of Parliament (Esplanade Solidarność, office 01F035).

Only those journalists who were assigned a place in the hemicycle will be able to work from there. The meeting room in front of the plenary chamber (3C050 in the SPAAK building) will also be set up as a press working area, and journalists may also work from the press room in the SPAAK building, on the ground floor.

Parking facilities

Parliament’s carpark will be free for media to use on election night – on presentation of a valid media pass at the entrance. There will be no need to use the IZIX App that is used during normal parliamentary weeks.