Mr President, I thank the rapporteur and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights for their serious work on an important subject.

The right to vote is fundamental to a democracy. "No taxation without representation" was the battle-cry of the Civil War in Britain. Many European Union citizens have been resident in another Member State for many years, have paid local taxes to the local municipality, but have been denied the opportunity to exercise the fundamental human right to vote for the local authorities.

This important report addresses this fundamental right. I commend the amendments of the Legal Affairs Committee which have the merits of practicality and simplicity. The right to vote should not be fettered by burdensome administrative bureaucracy.

I welcome in particular Amendment 18 which asks Member States to provide information to ensure that people can exercise their basic right to vote. I hope the UK will be more serious about providing information than it was in the European elections this year.