The European Council establishes the composition of the European Parliament

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The European Council today adopted a decision on the composition of the European Parliament. The decision sets out the number of representatives in each member state to be elected to the European Parliament for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term.

The decision reduces and redistributes European Parliament seats following the decision by the United Kingdom to exit the European Union. The new composition will reduce the size of the European Parliament from 751 to 705 Members (MEP’s).

Of the 73 seats vacated by Brexit, 27 will be re-allocated to better reflect the principle of degressive proportionality.

The 27 seats will be distributed to France (+5), Spain (+5), Italy (+3), Netherlands (+3), Ireland (+2), Sweden (+1), Austria (+1), Denmark (+1), Finland (+1), Slovakia (+1), Croatia (+1), Estonia (+1), Poland (+1) and Romania (+1). No member state will lose any seats.

Background

According to the Treaty on European Union the number of Members of the European Parliament cannot exceed seven hundred and fifty (750), plus the President (+1). It provides for representation to be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of six (6) members per member state, and with no member state allocated more than ninety-six (96) seats.

Today’s decision will enable member states to enact the necessary domestic measures for organising the elections to the European Parliament for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term.

Numbers of Members per member state 2019-2024

Belgium                       21
Bulgaria                       17
Czech Republic           21
Denmark                     14
Germany                     96
Estonia                          7
Ireland                         13
Greece                         21
Spain                           59
France                         79
Croatia                        12
Italy                             76
Cyprus                          6
Latvia                            8
Lithuania                     11
Luxembourg                 6
Hungary                      21
Malta                             6
Netherlands               29
Austria                        19
Poland                        52
Portugal                      21
Romania                     33
Slovenia                        8
Slovakia                      14
Finland                        14
Sweden                       21

TOTAL                       705