The European Parliament adopted by 400 votes to 183, with 96 abstentions, a resolution on the composition of the European Parliament.
Members recalled that the composition of the European Parliament must respect the criteria laid down in the first subparagraph of Article 14(2) TEU, namely:
- the number of representatives of the Union's citizens not exceeding 750, plus the President;
- the representation shall be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of six members per Member State and no Member State being allocated more than 96 seats.
Since the current allocation of seats in the European Parliament only applies to the 2014-2019 parliamentary term, Parliament stressed that a new decision on the composition of the European Parliament for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term is required.
Consequences of Brexit: unless the current legal situation changes, the United Kingdom will no longer be a member of the European Union at the time of the next European elections in 2019.
Parliament underlined that the seats to be vacated by the United Kingdom (73 seats) upon its withdrawal from the European Union will facilitate the adoption of a new allocation of seats in Parliament, which will implement the principle of degressive proportionality. The new allocation proposed would allow for a reduction in the size of Parliament (from 751 to 705). The reduction in the size of Parliament would leave a number of seats (46) to accommodate potential future enlargements of the European Union.
Even though Brexit is to take Northern Ireland out of the EU, Members stressed that Northern Irish citizens, under the Good Friday Agreement, also have an inherent right to Irish and therefore EU citizenship.
The report noted that
Proposal for a decision: on the basis of its right of initiative laid down in Article 14(2) TEU, Parliament underlined the urgent need to adopt that decision, which requires its consent, so that the Member States can enact, in good time, the necessary domestic provisions to enable them to organise the European elections for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term. This proposal was adopted by 431 votes to 182, with 61 abstentions.
Parliament stressed the urgent need to adopt that decision, which requires its consent, so that the Member States can enact, in good time, the necessary domestic provisions to enable them to organise the European elections for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term.