BRUSSELS, March 11 (UPI) -- The European Union has decided to change the date of next year's EU elections to boost voter turnout, officials said.
The EU Council's working party on general affairs Friday agreed to reschedule the elections from June 5-8, 2014, to May 22-25, 2014, the EUobserver reported.
The decision is set to be made official by EU ambassadors and ministers later this week.
"Some delegations initially objected due to national constitutional reasons, or because they wanted to avoid problems linked to the timing of regional elections, but in the end there was a unanimous agreement," an EU official told the news website.
The EUobserver said the Christian feast of Pentecost falls on June 8 in 2014, and many people, especially in southern European countries, may be on holiday and unable to vote.
Voter turnout in EU elections has been extremely low, hitting only 43 percent in 2009, the last election.
