According to an EU source, Poland is hopeful of securing another seat in the European Parliament (EP) through an upcoming agreement, expected to be finalized on Friday. Poland’s ambassador to the EU, Andrzej Sados, previously announced in late June that the country would actively pursue an additional seat in the EP, which would result in an increase from the current 52 seats to 53.
Following the departure of Great Britain from the European Union, the EP authorities proposed allocating extra seats to certain countries. Although Poland was not initially included among the potential beneficiaries, along with a group of other nations, it intends to advocate for a greater number of EP seats due to its increased share in the overall EU population.
In 2018, Poland accounted for 7.41 percent of the EU population, and recent demographic data shows an increase to 8.41 percent. Despite these figures, the initial draft for the new parliament’s composition appears to have overlooked this development. It suggests granting additional seats to countries such as Denmark, whose share of the EU population rose from 1.12 percent in 2018 to 1.31 percent, as well as Austria, which increased from 1.71 percent to 2 percent during the same period.
Conversely, Spain is set to receive two extra EP seats, as its share of the EU population grew from 9.08 percent in 2018 to 10.6 percent, while the Netherlands is also expected to gain more seats with its share rising from 3.36 percent in 2018 to 3.96 percent presently.
The upcoming election for the European Parliament is scheduled for June 2024. However, any final decision regarding the EP’s composition must receive unanimous approval from all member countries.