The European Parliament adopted by 515 votes to 74, with 44 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft European Council decision establishing the composition of the European Parliament.

In line with the recommendation of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Parliament gave its consent to the draft Council decision to increase the number of seats in the European Parliament for the next legislative term from 705 to 720.

Under the European Council's plan, 15 additional Members will be elected in 12 countries in June 2024. Two additional seats will be allocated to France, Spain and the Netherlands. One additional seat will be allocated to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Members regretted the lack of sincere cooperation from the European Council.

Parliament stated that the draft decision on the composition of the European Parliament is without prejudice to the prerogatives of the European Parliament and the Council in the annual budgetary procedure and Recital 5 of that draft decision concerns matters that do not fall within the scope of the European Council's competences under Article 15(1) TEU and the legal basis of Article 14(2) TEU.

It is for the European Parliament and the Council alone to decide on the content of the Union's budget in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Text adopted by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading

T9-0311/2023

Results of vote in Parliament

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A9-0265/2023

A9-0265/2023

PE752.910

PE752.761

The purpose of the draft decision of the European Council is to determine the composition of the European Parliament following approval by the European Parliament.

The first subparagraph of Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) lays down the criteria for the composition of the European Parliament, namely that there may be no more than 750 representatives of the citizens of the Union, plus the President, that representation must be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of 6 members per Member State, and that no Member State may be allocated more than 96 seats.

Under the draft decision, the number of representatives to the European Parliament elected in each Member State for the 2024-2029 term is set as follows:

- 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.

Sufficiently in advance of the start of the 2029-2034 legislature, and if possible by the end of 2027, the European Parliament should submit to the European Council a proposal updating the composition of seats in the European Parliament.

By the end of 2026, and prior to the proposal on its composition, the European Parliament should propose a method for the distribution of seats which is objective, fair, sustainable and transparent and which implements the principle of degressive proportionality.

Taking into account the impact of possible future developments, such a method should guarantee a maximum sustainable number of Members of the European Parliament.

The budgetary authority and the Commission will have to ensure that the increase in the number of seats provided for in this Decision has no budgetary impact within Section 1 of the general budget of the Union.

Legislative proposal

00013/2023