PURPOSE: to establish the composition of the European Parliament.
NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: European Council Decision (EU) 2018/937 establishing the composition of the European Parliament.
CONTENT: 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 representatives of the Union's citizens are not to exceed 750 in number, plus the President;
- that representation is to be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of six members per Member State, and that no Member State is to be allocated more than 96 seats.
Pursuant to this European Council Decision, the number of elected representatives in the European Parliament is reduced from 751 to 705 for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term.
The number of representatives in the European Parliament elected in each Member State for the 2019-2024 parliamentary term as follows:
- 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
However, the Decision stipulates that, in the event that the United Kingdom is still a Member State of the Union at the beginning of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term, the number of representatives in the European Parliament per Member State taking up office shall be that provided for in Article 3 of European Council Decision 2013/312/EU until the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union becomes legally binding.
Sufficiently far in advance of the beginning of the 2024-2029 parliamentary term, the European Parliament shall submit to the European Council a proposal for an updated allocation of seats in the European Parliament.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 3.7.2018.