The EU Parliament seat discussion affects Poland’s representation
On Friday, discussions pointed toward a possible agreement that would grant Poland one additional seat in the European Parliament for the upcoming term, according to an EU source cited by PAP. The topic centers on reallocating seats to reflect population changes and the evolving makeup of the union after Brexit, influencing how many Polish representatives will sit in the parliament once elections are completed.
Poland has signaled its intention to request an extra mandate in the European Parliament for the next term. Andrzej Sadoś, Poland’s ambassador to the European Union, confirmed to PAP in late June that Warsaw would push for an increase from 52 to 53 MEPs. This move follows broader conversations about adjusting seats to better reflect the current demographic landscape within the EU.
The next European Parliament elections are scheduled for June 2024. In terms of institutional mechanics, the EP holds the legislative initiative, but any change to the number of seats requires the unanimous agreement of all member states. This means that even a strong national argument must be weighed against the collective consent of the EU’s 27 members before a formal decision can be enacted.
With the United Kingdom having left the EU, there has been a general push from EP leadership to reallocate some seats in the forthcoming legislature. Poland and several other states, however, are not listed in those initial proposals. Despite this, Warsaw and a number of other capitals intend to apply for a larger share of seats because their populations constitute a sizeable portion of the EU’s total population. The prospect of such a change highlights how demographic shifts within member states are taken into account in the allocation of parliamentary representation.
Poland statistics
Current demographic data provides context for Poland’s request. Historical figures show Poland accounting for about 7.41 percent of the EU-28 population in 2018. Recent updates place Poland at roughly 8.41 percent of the EU-27 population, marking an increase of one percentage point in Poland’s share within the bloc. This growth is cited by supporters of the additional seat as justification for recalibrating representation in line with population changes, especially as the union adjusts its composition after Brexit.
As the EU contemplates specific seat allocations, comparisons are often drawn with other member states. For instance, Denmark would gain around 1.12 percent of the EU population in 2018, rising to about 1.31 percent in the present framework. Austria is cited as moving from 1.71 percent in 2018 to approximately 2 percent in the current period. Finland would shift from 1.07 percent to about 1.24 percent. These figures illustrate how different population trajectories translate into different seat counts under the EU’s rules for representation.
Spain faces a larger adjustment, potentially receiving two additional seats and moving from about 9.08 percent in 2018 to roughly 10.6 percent in the new arrangement. The Netherlands could see three extra seats, increasing from about 3.36 percent to nearly 3.96 percent. The drafting of the EP and its distribution plan also notes that some member states maintain the same number of MEPs despite the overall shifts in population. In some cases, absolute population sizes have remained steady since the 2018 European Council decision, while others may have decreased, as seen in examples like Slovakia and Latvia. These nuances matter because they can influence the final seating map when unanimity among member states is sought.
g a h / PAP
Source: wPolityce