P7_TA(2013)0082

Composition of the European Parliament with a view to the 2014 elections

European Parliament resolution of 13 March 2013 on the composition of the European Parliament with a view to the 2014 elections (2012/2309(INL))

(2016/C 036/09)

The European Parliament,

having regard to the Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union,

having regard to Rules 41, 48 and 74f of its Rules of Procedure,

having regard to its resolution of 11 October 2007 on the composition of the European Parliament (1) ,

having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A7-0041/2013),

whereas Article 2(1) and (2) of Protocol No 36 will expire at the end of the 2009-2014 parliamentary term,

whereas the Republic of Croatia is expected to accede to the Union before the elections to the European Parliament that are due to be held in the spring of 2014, and whereas Article 19(1) of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia and the adjustments to the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community will expire at the end of the 2009-2014 parliamentary term,

whereas the demographic changes that have occurred since the last elections to the European Parliament should be taken into consideration,

whereas the establishment of a durable system for the apportionment of seats in the European Parliament should be considered in conjunction with a revision of the voting system in the Council as part of an overall reform of the Union institutions to be defined in a Convention, convened pursuant to Article 48(3) TEU, and whereas such reform should recognise that, according to the Treaties, the basis for Union democracy is the representation of both citizens and Member States,

whereas the apportionment of seats for the next parliamentary term should not be arbitrary but should instead be based on objective criteria to be applied in a pragmatic manner, and whereas such apportionment should compensate gains in the number of seats with losses in such a way that losses are limited to a maximum of one seat per Member State,

Submits to the European Council the annexed proposal for a decision of the European Council establishing the composition of the European Parliament for the 2014-2019 parliamentary term, on the basis of its right of initiative laid down in Article 14(2) TEU;

Underlines the urgent need to adopt that decision, which requires its consent, as soon as the Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union enters into force, so that the Member States can enact, in good time, the necessary domestic measures for organising the elections to the European Parliament for the 2014-2019 parliamentary term;

Commits itself to submit shortly a proposal aimed at improving the practical arrangements for the holding of the elections in 2014;

Undertakes to submit, before the end of 2015, a new proposal for a decision of the European Council with the aim of establishing, sufficiently far in advance of the beginning of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term, a durable and transparent system which, in future, before each fresh election to the European Parliament, will allow seats to be apportioned amongst the Member States in an objective manner, based on the principle of degressive proportionality as set forth in Article 1 of the annexed proposal for a decision, taking account of any change in their number and demographic trends in their population, as duly ascertained, and without excluding the possibility of reserving a number of seats to members elected on transnational lists;

Observes that the new system for apportioning seats in the European Parliament should be established in conjunction with a review of the voting system in the Council as part of the necessary revision of the Treaties; determines to make proposals to this end at the next Convention to be convened pursuant to Article 48(3) TEU;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution and the proposal for a decision of the European Council annexed hereto, together with the aforementioned report of its Committee on Constitutional Affairs, to the European Council and to the government and parliament of the Republic of Croatia, and, for information, to the Commission and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ C 227 E, 4.9.2008, p. 132 (Lamassoure-Severin report).

ANNEX TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

Proposal for a decision of the European Council establishing the composition of the European Parliament

THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 14(2) thereof,

Having regard to Article 2(3) of Protocol No 36 on transitional provisions,

Having regard to the initiative of the European Parliament,

Having regard to the consent of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

(1) Article 2(1) and (2) of Protocol No 36 on transitional provisions will expire at the end of the 2009-2014 parliamentary term.

(2) Article 19(1) of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia and the adjustments to the Treaty on European Union, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community will expire at the end of the 2009-2014 parliamentary term.

(3) It is necessary to comply without delay with the provisions of Article 2(3) of Protocol No 36 and therefore to adopt the decision provided for in the second subparagraph of Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union, in order to enable Member States to enact in good time the necessary domestic measures for organising the elections to the European Parliament for the 2014-2019 parliamentary term.

(4) This Decision complies with the criteria laid down in the first subparagraph of Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union, namely that representatives of the Union's citizens are not to exceed seven hundred and fifty in number, plus the President, that representation is to be degressively proportional, with a minimum threshold of six members per Member State, and that no Member State is to be allocated more than ninety-six seats,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

In the application of the principle of degressive proportionality provided for in the first subparagraph of Article 14(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the following principles shall apply:

— the allocation of seats in the European Parliament shall fully utilise the minimum and maximum numbers set by the Treaty on European Union in order to reflect as closely as possible the sizes of the respective populations of Member States;

— the ratio between the population and the number of seats of each Member State before rounding to whole numbers shall vary in relation to their respective populations in such a way that each Member of the European Parliament from a more populous Member State represents more citizens than each Member from a less populous Member State and, conversely, that the larger the population of a Member State, the greater its entitlement to a large number of seats.

Article 2

The total population of the Member States shall be calculated by the Commission (Eurostat) on the basis of data provided by the Member States, in accordance with a method established by means of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Article 3

Pursuant to Article 1, the number of representatives in the European Parliament elected in each Member State is hereby set as follows, with effect from the beginning of the 2014-2019 parliamentary term:

Belgium 21 Bulgaria 17 Czech Republic 21 Denmark 13 Germany 96 Estonia 6 Ireland 11 Greece 21 Spain 54 France 74 Croatia 11 Italy 73 Cyprus 6 Latvia 8 Lithuania 11 Luxembourg 6 Hungary 21 Malta 6 Netherlands 26 Austria 18 Poland 51 Portugal 21 Romania 32 Slovenia 8 Slovakia 13 Finland 13 Sweden 20 United Kingdom 73

Article 4

This Decision shall be revised sufficiently far in advance of the beginning of the 2019-2024 parliamentary term with the aim of establishing a system which in future will make it possible, before each fresh election to the European Parliament, to allocate the seats between Member States in an objective, fair, durable and transparent way, based on the principle of degressive proportionality as set forth in Article 1, taking account of any change in their number and demographic trends in their population, as duly ascertained, as well as of the voting system in the Council.

Article 5

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.