On Friday 14 July, the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union submitted an unsuccessful proposal to the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) to determine the composition of the European Parliament for the 2024-2029 term.
Based on the European Parliament’s initial proposal for a chamber of 716 seats (see EUROPE 13202/11), this Spanish compromise proposal included giving France two extra seats (81 seats instead of 79) as well as one extra seat for Belgium (22 seats instead of 21) and Poland (53 seats instead of 52), bringing the Parliament’s chamber to 720 seats.
The Spanish Presidency has also suggested deleting any reference to a possible European constituency, a mechanism linked to the reform of the Electoral Law currently blocked in the EU Council. It also proposed that a solution be found, if possible before the end of 2027, on a new distribution of seats in the European Parliament that takes account of demographic trends in the Member States.
This issue will be on Coreper’s agenda again on Wednesday 19 July.
See the Spanish compromise proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/839 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)