22 September 2023
The European Council adopted a decision on the composition of the European Parliament today. The decision sets out the number of representatives in each member state to be elected to the European Parliament for the 2024-2029 parliamentary term.
The decision sets the number of European Parliament seats at 720 in view of the demographic changes in EU member states.
Additional seats have been allocated to: Belgium (+1), Denmark (+1), Ireland (+1), Spain (+2), France (+2), Latvia (+1), Netherlands (+2), Austria (+1), Poland (+1), Slovenia (+1), Slovakia (+1), Finland (+1).
In its decision, the European Council invited the budgetary authority and the Commission to ensure that the increase in the number of seats foreseen by this Decision is budgetary neutral within Section 1 of the general budget of the Union.
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 2024-2029 parliamentary term.
Numbers of Members per member state 2024-2029
- Belgium 22
- Bulgaria 17
- Czech Republic 21
- Denmark 15
- Germany 96
- Estonia 7
- Ireland 14
- Greece 21
- Spain 61
- France 81
- Croatia 12
- Italy 76
- Cyprus 6
- Latvia 9
- Lithuania 11
- Luxembourg 6
- Hungary 21
- Malta 6
- Netherlands 31
- Austria 20
- Poland 53
- Portugal 21
- Romania 33
- Slovenia 9
- Slovakia 15
- Finland 15
- Sweden 21
- TOTAL 720
Source – European Council