The European Council establishes the composition of the European Parliament
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