At the beginning of August, the Member States of the European Union completed the written procedure for approving the proposal for a European Council decision on the composition of the European Parliament after the June 2024 elections (see EUROPE 13230/2).
Only Portugal has issued a statement indicating its preference for Parliament’s original proposal, which suggested granting eleven new seats to MEPs (see EUROPE 13202/11). According to the Portuguese authorities, as many seats as possible should be kept vacant with a view to future EU enlargements.
This step paves the way for a vote by the European Parliament, probably at the plenary session starting on Monday 11 September, to give its consent to the compromise proposal drawn up by the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council and approved by the Member States at the end of July.
If the European Parliament gives its consent to the compromise reached in the Council, the hemicycle will be made up of 720 seats for the 2024-2029 legislature. Compared to its current composition, Spain, France and the Netherlands would get two extra seats, while Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia would get one extra seat. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)