PURPOSE: to establish the composition of the European Parliament.
PROPOSED ACT: European Council Decision.
BACKGROUND: Article 2(1) and (2) of Protocol No 36 on transitional provisions will expire at the end of the 2009-2014 parliamentary term. It is necessary to comply without delay with the provisions of Article 2(3) of Protocol No 36 and therefore to adopt the decision provided for in the second subparagraph of Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union, in order to enable Member States to enact in good time the necessary domestic measures for organising the elections to the European Parliament for the 2014-2019 parliamentary term.
The first subparagraph of Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union lays down the criteria for the composition of the European Parliament, namely: (i) that representatives of the Union's citizens are not to exceed 750, plus the President, (ii) that representation is to be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of 6 members per Member State, and (iii) that no Member State is to be allocated more than 96 seats.
LEGAL BASIS: Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).
CONTENT: by applying the principle of degressive proportionality provided for by the Treaty on European Union, it is proposed to establish the number of representatives in the European Parliament elected in each Member States for the 2014-2019 parliamentary term as follows:
- Belgium : 21
- Bulgaria : 17
- Czech Republic : 21
- Denmark : 13
- Germany : 96
- Estonia : 6
- Ireland : 11
- Greece : 21
- Spain : 54
- France : 74
- Croatia : 11
- Italy : 73
- Cyprus : 6
- Latvia : 8
- Lithuania : 11
- Luxembourg : 6
- Hungary : 21
- Malta : 6
- Netherlands : 26
- Austria : 18
- Poland : 51
- Portugal : 21
- Romania : 32
- Slovenia : 8
- Slovakia : 13
- Finland : 13
- Sweden : 20
- United Kingdom : 73.
It is proposed that this Decision shall be revised sufficiently far in advance of the beginning of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term on the basis of an initiative of the European Parliament presented before the end of 2016 with the aim of establishing a system which in future will make it possible, before each fresh election to the European Parliament, to allocate the seats between Member States in an objective, fair, durable and transparent way.
The allocation should respect the principle of degressive proportionality, taking account of any change in their number and demographic trends in their population, as duly ascertained thus respecting the overall balance of the institutional system.