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EU voters will hit the polls in June in a different world than the last European Parliament elections in 2019 a world marred by Covid, war, economic turmoil and climate change-induced drought.

(CN) Millions of young Europeans will be eligible to vote for members to the European Parliament for the first time in June, according to data published by Eurostat on Thursday.

Elections, according to the EUs voting website, "[are] a unique moment when we can all collectively decide on the future of the European Union. Voting is always important, be it at local, national or European level. It is an excellent opportunity to have your say on topics you care about."

Germany has the largest number of eligible voters in the EU at 64.9 million, followed by France, 49.7 million, and Italy, 47 million. These three countries also have the largest number of first-time voters, with Germany topping 5.1 million people who have come of voting age since the 2019 election. This adds up to nearly 8% of Germany's voting pool.

Along with having the most voters, Germany, France and Italy will also send the most members to Parliament: Germany will have 96 representatives, France 81 and Italy 76.

With just 400,000 eligible voters, Malta has the lowest number in the EU, followed by Luxembourg and Cyprus which are both below 700,000 people. With the smallest populations in the EU, these nations only send six representatives each to Parliament.

Malta and Cyprus also have the lowest numbers of eligible first-time voters in the EU 20,000 and 37,000, respectively.

Every five years, voters across the EU choose more than 700 members to sit in the European Parliament, representing 450 million Europeans in the worlds only directly elected transnational assembly. Elections will be held June 6-9.

In addition to selecting individual candidates, many Europeans vote for political parties that represent their views. Once elected, many political parties group together into transnational groups with common interests.

Seven transnational political groups and 10 parties are currently represented in Parliament, including the Party of European Socialists, the European Green Party, the European Conservatives and Reformists Party and the European Christian Political Movement.

In addition to approving the EUs budget, members of the European Parliament shape the European Commission, a body similar to the U.S.s executive branch, by electing the president and appointing commissioners.

With the last elections held in 2019, this is EU voters' first opportunity to reshape Parliament following the Covid-19 pandemic, Russias invasion of Ukraine, as well as droughts and economic turmoil.

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Millions of Europeans eligible to vote in upcoming Parliament elections - Courthouse News Service