Brussels, 12/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - In the European elections of 2014, 12 member states will each lose one seat and none will gain any, according to a draft decision approved by the Parliament this Wednesday 12 June. These reductions are needed in order to remain within the upper limit of 751 seats laid down in the Treaty of Lisbon and to allow the Croatian MEPs to take their seats. The draft decision of the European Council approved by the Parliament (574 votes to 71, with 39 abstentions) leaves the distribution of seats between member states as proposed by the MEPs on 13 March unchanged. As the Parliament has given its blessing, the text can now be formally adopted by the European Council of 27 and 28 June. The proposed solution will mean 12 member states - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania - losing one seat each at the forthcoming European elections. Germany will lose three (from 99 seats to 96). This allocation of seats will be revised before the elections of 2019, on the basis of a proposal of the European Parliament to be presented before the end of 2016. (LC/transl.fl)