The percentage is higher in the province of Alicante which, at just under 17%, is the province with the highest number of registered foreign voters, the majority of this population being British, followed by Germans and other northern Europeans.
The European elections offer European residents in Spain the opportunity to have a voice in the European Parliament. Residents from all EU countries should directly benefit from the right enshrined in the EU charter to freedom of movement, the freedom to live, work and study in any EU country.
Even more so than in one's home country, British and other EU residents in Spain need the guarantees offered by the European Community regarding citizens' rights, property rights, access to health and education, environmental protection, and freedom to work and study.
This has been demonstrated on several occasions by the intervention of the European Parliament and Commission in the defense of the many thousands of petitions received from British, Spanish, German, Dutch, and other EU residents relating to the disastrous ‘land grab’ laws and the numerous scandals relating to property rights and destruction of the environment. This has given impetus to the European Courts of Justice and Human Rights to commence legal actions designed to ensure compliance with EU law and full respect for the fundamental rights of EU citizens living in this country.
The opportunity to vote for representation in the European Parliament is therefore vital and carries the responsibility for all EU residents in Spain to exercise that right.
THERE IS ONLY A LIMITED TIME TO REGISTER FOR YOUR VOTE
If you are registered on the padron of your municipality you need to go to the Town Hall and ask to fill in the intent to vote, ie. ‘declaracion de intento de voto’ form.
Even if you are not registered on the padron you should go to the Town Hall to do so, and also demand the right to fill in the intent to vote form.
You can be registered on the padron even without the ‘certificate de extranjeria’ or ‘residencia’ card. As regards identity, a valid EU passport should, under EU law, be sufficient.
If a Town Hall questions this right, insist that they phone the census office for instruction, where this right will be confirmed.
PLEASE EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND HAVE YOUR SAY IN WHO BEST REPRESENTS YOUR INTERESTS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
From AUN Press release.