Additional seat for Ireland in the 2024 European Elections
The European Parliament has approved a decision of the European Council increasing the number of seats in the Parliament for the next legislative term from 705 to 720. Ireland gains one seat under this decision, bringing Ireland’s total number of MEPs to 14.
In its Constituency Review Report 2023 published on 30 August 2023 the Electoral Commission undertook, in the event of a formal decision changing Ireland’s seat allocation, to carry out a short public consultation and publish a fresh recommendation for the European Parliament constituencies.
The 15 additional seats are spread across 12 member states. France, Spain, and the Netherlands each gained two additional seats in this exercise, and Belgium Denmark, Latvia, Austria, Poland, Finland, Slovenia and Slovakia each gained one. The composition of the Parliament is reviewed before each election and adapted, where appropriate, in accordance with the most recent population figures. Prior to the withdrawal from the European Union of the United Kingdom, there was a total of 751 seats - the upper limit under the Treaties. Following the UK’s withdrawal, this number fell to 705. Some of the seats were reallocated at that time to reflect changes in population numbers, with Ireland benefitting from two additional seats.
Constituency Review Report 2023
2024 European Elections: 15 additional seats divided between 12 countries