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European Parliament constituency

Electoral district for a European Parliament seat

European Parliament constituency

Electoral district for a European Parliament seat

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by the population of the member states of the European Union (EU). The European Electoral Act 2002 allows member states the choice to allocate electoral subdivisions or constituencies (; ; ; ) for the European Parliament elections in several different ways.

Most EU countries operate a single national constituency which elects MEPs for the whole country. Belgium and Ireland are each subdivided into constituencies, with electoral results calculated separately in each constituency. Germany, Italy and Poland are each subdivided into electoral districts, with the number of representatives determined at the national level after each election in proportion to the votes cast in each district.

In Germany, political parties are entitled to present lists of candidates either at Länder or national level.

Currently, all constituencies use various forms of proportional representation (PR), except the single-seat German-speaking electoral college in Belgium, which uses first-past-the-post. The parliament as a whole is not PR, because seats are apportioned between member states by degressive proportionality.

TOC

List of constituencies

Current constituencies
ConstituencyMember StateArea/CommunitySeatsSeats country totalPopulation, 2012 (thousands)Area (km2)At elec­tionCur­rentCur­rentTotalPer cur. seatTotalPer cur. seat*Total*751705705
AustriaAustria*(Full country)*181919
Dutch-speaking electoral collegeBelgiumFlemish Community121221
French-speaking electoral collegeFrench Community of Belgium88
German-speaking electoral collegeGerman-speaking Community of Belgium11
BulgariaBulgaria*(Full country)*171717
CroatiaCroatia*(Full country)*111212
CyprusCyprus*(Full country)*666
Czech RepublicCzech Republic*(Full country)*212121
DenmarkDenmark*(Full country)*131414
EstoniaEstonia*(Full country)*677
FinlandFinland*(Full country)*131414
FranceFrance*(Full country)*747979
GermanyGermany*Full country, parties can opt for separate lists in the 16 Bundesländer*969696
GreeceGreece*(Full country)*212121
HungaryHungary*(Full country)*212121
DublinIrelandDublin and counties Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin3414
Midlands–North-WestCounties Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway45
SouthCounties Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kilkenny, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow; and the cities of Cork, Limerick and Waterford45
North-WestItalyAosta Valley, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont202076
North-EastEmilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto1415
CentralLatium, Marche, Tuscany, Umbria1415
SouthernAbruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise1718
IslandsSardinia, Sicily88
LatviaLatvia*(Full country)*888
LithuaniaLithuania*(Full country)*111111
LuxembourgLuxembourg*(Full country)*666
MaltaMalta*(Full country)*666
NetherlandsNetherlands*(Full country)*262929
PomeranianPolandPomeranian Voivodeship3352
Kuyavian-PomeranianKuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship22
Podlaskie and Warmian-MasurianPodlaskie and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships33
WarsawPowiats]]: Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Legionowo, Nowy Dwór, Otwock, Piaseczno, Pruszków, Warsaw West and Wołomin66
MasovianCiechanów]], Gostyń, Mława, Płock, Płońsk, Przasnysz, Sierpc, Sochaczew, Żuromin, Żyrardów, Białobrzegi, Grójec, Kozienice, Lipsko, Przysucha, Radom, Szydłowiec, Zwoleń, Garwolin, Łosice, Maków, Mińsk, Ostrołęka, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Pułtusk, Siedlce, Sokołów, Węgrów, Wyszków and the cities of Płock, Radom, Ostrołęka and Siedlce33
ŁódźŁódź Voivodeship33
Greater PolandGreater Poland Voivodeship55
LublinLublin Voivodeship33
SubcarpathianSubcarpathian Voivodeship33
Lesser Poland and ŚwiętokrzyskieLesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships56
SilesianSilesian Voivodeship77
Lower Silesian and OpoleLower Silesian and Opole Voivodeships44
Lubusz and West PomeranianLubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeships44
PortugalPortugal*(Full country)*212121
RomaniaRomania*(Full country)*323333
SlovakiaSlovakia*(Full country)*131414
SloveniaSlovenia*(Full country)*888
SpainSpain*(Full country)*545959
SwedenSweden*(Full country)*202121

Former constituencies

Denmark

Main article: Greenland (European Parliament constituency)

Denmark had a separate constituency for Greenland until 1985, when the autonomous territory withdrew from the EEC (later expanded to become the EU).

France

Constituencies of France 2004-2019

Main article: European Parliament constituencies in France

Between 2004 and 2019, France was divided into 8 constituencies:

  • East
  • Île-de-France
  • Massif-central–Centre
  • North-West
  • Overseas Territories
  • South-East
  • South-West
  • West

Ireland

Main article: European Parliament constituencies in Ireland

Ireland's constituencies have changed several times:

  • 1979 to 2004: Connacht–Ulster, Dublin, Leinster, Munster
  • 2004 to 2014: Dublin, East, North-West, South
  • 2014 to present: Dublin, Midlands–North-West, South

United Kingdom

Constituencies of the United Kingdom 1999-2020

Main article: European Parliament constituencies in the United Kingdom

Before the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU, there was a 3-member single transferable vote constituency covering Northern Ireland. The constituencies covering England, Scotland, and Wales changed several times:

  • Between 1979 and 1994, there were 78 first-past-the-post single-member constituencies.
  • Between 1994 and 1999, there were 84 first-past-the-post single-member constituencies.
  • Between 1999 and 2020, there were 11 d'Hondt multi-member constituencies, one for each of Scotland, Wales, and the nine regions of England. From 2004, the South West England constituency also covered Gibraltar.

Proposed pan-European constituency

On May 3, 2022, the European Parliament passed (323 votes to 262) a "legislative resolution on the reform of European electoral law". Among the proposals is the creation of a 28-member pan-Union constituency elected by party-list proportional representation on a list separate from elections for regional constituencies. However, in July 2023 the reference to it was removed by the European Council.

References

References

  1. (2010). "The 2009 European Parliament Elections: From Votes to Seats in 27 Ways". European Electoral Studies.
  2. Eurostat. (14 March 2014). "Average annual population (1000) by NUTS 2 region".
  3. Eurostat. (19 May 2014). "Total area and land area by NUTS 2 region".
  4. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0129_EN.html See Article 15 Union-wide constituency
  5. Kurmayer, Nikolaus J.. (2022-05-03). "European Parliament agrees position on EU election law overhaul".
  6. (2023-07-28). "European Parliament set to grow by 15 MEPs in 2024".
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