Brussels, 11/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - The proposals by rapporteurs Alain Lamassoure (EPP-ED) and Adrian Severin (PES) on the allocation of seats in the European Parliament after the 2009 European elections (see EUROPE 9496) attracted broad support in the EP constitutional affairs committee on Tuesday 11 September. Everyone felt that the representation of citizens a the EP should be as balanced and fair as possible and that “degressive proportionality”, which forms the basis of Messrs Lamassoure and Severin's proposals is an appropriate way of achieving this. It is likely that some MEPs call for more seats for their country, “but I call on all those who would like to put down amendments to state clearly from where the seats should be taken in order to satisfy their demands”, since the total number of seats will be capped at 750 from 2009, compared with 785 today, highlighted Mr Lamassoure ahead of the committee vote scheduled for 1 October. The plenary session vote on the final position will take place at the mini-session in Brussels on 10-11 October, a week before the informal European summit in Lisbon which could approve a possible EP agreement on this issue. “The Portuguese presidency has told me that it does not intend to debate this issue and that it wants to take the European Parliament position as it stands” at the summit which is also due to conclude the IGC on the new Treaty.
The proposal is good, but not 100% fair, said Alexander Stubb (EPP-ED, Finland), who would like to see Germany allocated 93 seats (rather than the 96 proposed) and Poland 50 instead of 51. Dane Jens-Peter Bonde would also like to see Germany lose more MEPs than the three that capping seats at a maximum of 96 from 2009 (rather than the 99 currently) would require. UK MEP Andrew Duff for the Liberal group, spoke an “attractive, pragmatic and fair” proposal. Irish MEP Brian Crowley challenged the figures used by the two rapporteurs for Ireland, which would have 12 seats (as in the Nice Treaty), one less than today. He said that the proposal was based on “provisional” figures for the number of inhabitants provided by the Irish authorities in November 2006, but, since April 2007, Eurostat had new updated figures which, Mr Crowley said, were higher and would see Ireland allocated a 13th seat.
During the debate, several MEPs indicated their wish for the Parliament to begin reflection immediately on a stable, objective and fair mechanism which would, come the time for future enlargement of the EU (Croatia, Western Balkan countries, etc.) avoid a “bloodbath” every time over the allocation of seats. It was not politically possible, at this stage, to set the number of MEPs after future enlargements of the EU, Mr Lamassoure said. It was a “very delicate” issue, all the more so since in future, unlike this time where no country would lose any seats compared with the Treaty of Nice, “everyone will have to accept reductions since the total number of seats will remain capped at 750”. (hb)