MEPs have approved the European Council’s decision increasing the number of seats in the European Parliament for the next legislative term from 705 to 720. The upcoming elections in June 2024 will take place with the new number of seats in Parliament.
The European Council’s proposal was based on Parliament’s Report of June 2023, which started the process and was prompted by demographic changes in the EU since the 2019 elections. Additional seats will be allocated as follows:
- Two additional seats for France, Spain and the Netherlands,
- One each for Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Finland, Slovakia, Ireland, Slovenia, and Latvia
Parliament consented to the legislative decision with 515 votes in favour, 74 against, and 44 abstentions. During the debate that preceded the vote, MEPs criticised the European Council’s attempt to influence Parliament in its budgetary functions, and reiterated Parliament’s independence.
The European Parliament’s composition is assessed before each election, in line with the principles set out in the Treaties (i.e. a maximum of 750 MEPs plus the President, no less than 6 and no more than 96 seats for any EU country), and based on the most recent population figures.
