The European Union’s decision was announced by Poland’s Minister for European Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The minister said in a post on the social messaging app X, formerly known as Twitter: “Poland’s diplomatic drive in the EU, stressing the need for a proportional adjustment of the Polish representation in the European Parliament, has been effective.”
He added: “A decision has been made to grant Poland an additional seat in the EP. At the next elections, the Polish people will elect 53 MEPs.”
Earlier on Wednesday, a source in the EU told PAP that the ambassadors of member states had reached an agreement on the distribution of seats in the EP’s next term, after the 2024 elections.
Under the new arrangement, Poland will see its number of seats rise from 52 to 53, the EU official said.
The final decision on the distribution of seats in the European Parliament requires unanimity among the EU’s member states, according to officials.
The change, initially proposed by the leadership of the EP, is designed to give additional seats to certain member countries after Britain’s exit from the bloc, the PAP news agency reported.
Poland had lobbied for an increased number of MEPs as its share in the EU population had risen from 7.41 percent in 2018 to 8.41 percent in 2023, according to PAP.
The EP initially proposed to give an additional seat to nine member states, including Austria, Denmark and Finland; the group now also includes Poland.
Meanwhile, Spain and the Netherlands stand to receive two additional seats in the European Parliament, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm)
Source: PAP, wpolityce.pl
