European Parliament constituency

{{Short description|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 ({{Langx|fr|circonscriptions électorales}}; {{Langx|de|Wahlkreise}}; {{Langx|it|circoscrizioni elettorali}}; {{Langx|sv|valkretsar}}) for the European Parliament elections in several different ways.{{Cite journal |last1=Oelbermann |first1=Kai-Friederike |last2=Palomares |first2=Antonio |last3=Pukelsheim |first3=Friedrich |year=2010 |title=The 2009 European Parliament Elections: From Votes to Seats in 27 Ways |url=http://ispo.fss.muni.cz/uploads/EVS/010/EVS2_2010_4.pdf |journal=European Electoral Studies |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=148–182 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915234520/http://ispo.fss.muni.cz/uploads/EVS/010/EVS2_2010_4.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2013 |url-status=live}}

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.

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List of constituencies

File:EP-constituencies.svg

scope="col" rowspan="2"\| Constituency !scope="col" rowspan="2"\| Member State !scope="col" rowspan="2"\| Area/Community !scope="col" colspan="2"\| Seats ! Seats country total !scope="col" colspan="2"\| Population, 2012{{cite web\|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tgs00001\|title=Average annual population (1000) by NUTS 2 region\|author=Eurostat\|date=14 March 2014\|access-date=26 May 2014}} (thousands) ! scope="col" colspan="2" \| Area{{cite web\|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tgs00002\| title=Total area and land area by NUTS 2 region\|author=Eurostat\|date=19 May 2014\|access-date=26 May 2014}} (km²)
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; clear:both"
scope="col" data-sort-type="number"\| At election ! scope="col" data-sort-type="number"\| Current ! Current !scope="col" data-sort-type="number"\| Total ! scope="col" data-sort-type="number"\| Per cur. seat !scope="col" data-sort-type="number"\| Total ! scope="col" data-sort-type="number"\| Per cur. seat
Austria	Austria	(Full country)	18	19 \|19	{{formatnum:8430}}	{{formatnum:444}}	{{formatnum:83879}}	{{formatnum:4415}}
Dutch-speaking electoral college	rowspan="3"\| Belgium	Flemish Community	12	12 \| rowspan="3" \|21	{{formatnum:6389}}	{{formatnum:532}}	{{formatnum:13521}}	{{formatnum:1127}}
French-speaking electoral college	French Community of Belgium	8	8	{{formatnum:4663}}	{{formatnum:583}}	{{formatnum:16152}}	{{formatnum:2019}}
German-speaking electoral college	German-speaking Community of Belgium	1	1	{{formatnum:77}}	{{formatnum:77}}	{{formatnum:854}}	{{formatnum:854}}
Bulgaria	Bulgaria	(Full country)	17	17 \|17	{{formatnum:7306}}	{{formatnum:430}}	{{formatnum:110900}}	{{formatnum:6524}}
Croatia	Croatia	(Full country)	11	12 \|12	{{formatnum:4269}}	{{formatnum:356}}	{{formatnum:56594}}	{{formatnum:4716}}
Cyprus	Cyprus	(Full country)	6	6 \|6	{{formatnum:864}}	{{formatnum:144}}	{{formatnum:9251}}	{{formatnum:1542}}
Czech Republic	Czech Republic	(Full country)	21	21 \|21	{{formatnum:10511}}	{{formatnum:501}}	{{formatnum:78866}}	{{formatnum:3756}}
Denmark	Denmark	(Full country)	13	14 \|14	{{formatnum:5592}}	{{formatnum:399}}	{{formatnum:42916}}	{{formatnum:3065}}
Estonia	Estonia	(Full country)	6	7 \|7	{{formatnum:1323}}	{{formatnum:189}}	{{formatnum:45227}}	{{formatnum:6461}}
Finland	Finland	(Full country)	13	14 \|14	{{formatnum:5414}}	{{formatnum:387}}	{{formatnum:338435}}	{{formatnum:24174}}
France	France	(Full country)	74	79 \|79	{{formatnum:66233}}	{{formatnum:838}}	{{formatnum:656412}}	{{formatnum:8309}}
Germany	Germany	Full country, parties can opt for separate lists in the 16 Bundesländer	96	96 \|96	{{formatnum:81932}}	{{formatnum:853}}	{{formatnum:357162}}	{{formatnum:3720}}
Greece	Greece	(Full country)	21	21 \|21	{{formatnum:11093}}	{{formatnum:528}}	{{formatnum:131957}}	{{formatnum:6284}}
Hungary	Hungary	(Full country)	21	21 \|21	{{formatnum:9920}}	{{formatnum:472}}	{{formatnum:93024}}	{{formatnum:4430}}
Dublin	rowspan="3"\| Ireland	Dublin and counties Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin	3	4 \| rowspan="3" \|14	{{formatnum:1271}}	{{formatnum:318}}	{{formatnum:921}}	{{formatnum:230}}
Midlands–North-West	Counties Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway	4	5	{{formatnum:1635}}	{{formatnum:409}}	{{formatnum:37282}}	{{formatnum:9321}}
South	Counties Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kilkenny, Kerry, Laois, Limerick, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow; and the cities of Cork, Limerick and Waterford	4	5	{{formatnum:1675}}	{{formatnum:335}}	{{formatnum:31935}}	{{formatnum:6387}}
North-West	rowspan="5"\| Italy	Aosta Valley, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont	20	20 \| rowspan="5" \|76	{{formatnum:15807}}	{{formatnum:790}}	{{formatnum:57928}}	{{formatnum:2896}}
North-East	Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto	14	15	{{formatnum:11482}}	{{formatnum:765}}	{{formatnum:62327}}	{{formatnum:4155}}
Central	Latium, Marche, Tuscany, Umbria	14	15	{{formatnum:11637}}	{{formatnum:776}}	{{formatnum:58084}}	{{formatnum:3872}}
Southern	Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise	17	18	{{formatnum:13975}}	{{formatnum:776}}	{{formatnum:73800}}	{{formatnum:4100}}
Islands	Sardinia, Sicily	8	8	{{formatnum:6639}}	{{formatnum:830}}	{{formatnum:49932}}	{{formatnum:6242}}
Latvia	Latvia	(Full country)	8	8 \|8	{{formatnum:2034}}	{{formatnum:254}}	{{formatnum:64573}}	{{formatnum:8072}}
Lithuania	Lithuania	(Full country)	11	11 \|11	{{formatnum:2988}}	{{formatnum:272}}	{{formatnum:65300}}	{{formatnum:5936}}
Luxembourg	Luxembourg	(Full country)	6	6 \|6	{{formatnum:531}}	{{formatnum:88}}	{{formatnum:2586}}	{{formatnum:431}}
Malta	Malta	(Full country)	6	6 \|6	{{formatnum:420}}	{{formatnum:70}}	{{formatnum:316}}	{{formatnum:53}}
Netherlands	Netherlands	(Full country)	26	29 \|29	{{formatnum:16755}}	{{formatnum:578}}	{{formatnum:41540}}	{{formatnum:1432}}
Pomeranian	rowspan="13"\| Poland	Pomeranian Voivodeship	3	3 \| rowspan="13" \|52	{{formatnum:2287}}	{{formatnum:762}}	{{formatnum:18310}}	{{formatnum:6103}}
Kuyavian-Pomeranian	Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship	2	2	{{formatnum:2097}}	{{formatnum:1049}}	{{formatnum:17972}}	{{formatnum:8986}}
Podlaskie and Warmian-Masurian	Podlaskie and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships	3	3	{{formatnum:2651}}	{{formatnum:884}}	{{formatnum:44360}}	{{formatnum:14787}}
Warsaw	City of Warsaw and part of the Masovian VoivodeshipPowiats: Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Legionowo, Nowy Dwór, Otwock, Piaseczno, Pruszków, Warsaw West and Wołomin	6	6	{{formatnum:2795}}	{{formatnum:466}}	{{formatnum:11205}}	{{formatnum:1868}}
Masovian	The rest of the Masovian VoivodeshipPowiats: Ciechanów, 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 Siedlce	3	3	{{formatnum:2499}}	{{formatnum:833}}	{{formatnum:24353}}	{{formatnum:8118}}
Łódź	Łódź Voivodeship	3	3	{{formatnum:2529}}	{{formatnum:843}}	{{formatnum:18219}}	{{formatnum:6073}}
Greater Poland	Greater Poland Voivodeship	5	5	{{formatnum:3350}}	{{formatnum:670}}	{{formatnum:15183}}	{{formatnum:3037}}
Lublin	Lublin Voivodeship	3	3	{{formatnum:2169}}	{{formatnum:732}}	{{formatnum:25122}}	{{formatnum:8374}}
Subcarpathian	Subcarpathian Voivodeship	3	3	{{formatnum:2129}}	{{formatnum:710}}	{{formatnum:17846}}	{{formatnum:5949}}
Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie	Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships	5	6	{{formatnum:4735}}	{{formatnum:789}}	{{formatnum:41537}}	{{formatnum:6923}}
Silesian	Silesian Voivodeship	7	7	{{formatnum:4621}}	{{formatnum:660}}	{{formatnum:12333}}	{{formatnum:1762}}
Lower Silesian and Opole	Lower Silesian and Opole Voivodeships	4	4	{{formatnum:3928}}	{{formatnum:982}}	{{formatnum:29359}}	{{formatnum:7340}}
Lubusz and West Pomeranian	Lubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeships	4	4	{{formatnum:2745}}	{{formatnum:686}}	{{formatnum:36880}}	{{formatnum:9220}}
Portugal	Portugal	(Full country)	21	21 \|21	{{formatnum:10515}}	{{formatnum:501}}	{{formatnum:92212}}	{{formatnum:4391}}
Romania	Romania	(Full country)	32	33 \|33	{{formatnum:21385}}	{{formatnum:648}}	{{formatnum:238391}}	{{formatnum:7224}}
Slovakia	Slovakia	(Full country)	13	14 \|14	{{formatnum:5408}}	{{formatnum:386}}	{{formatnum:49036}}	{{formatnum:3503}}
Slovenia	Slovenia	(Full country)	8	8 \|8	{{formatnum:2057}}	{{formatnum:257}}	{{formatnum:20273}}	{{formatnum:2534}}
Spain	Spain	(Full country)	54	59 \|59	{{formatnum:46773}}	{{formatnum:793}}	{{formatnum:505991}}	{{formatnum:8576}}
Sweden	Sweden	(Full country)	20	21 \|21	{{formatnum:9519}}	{{formatnum:453}}	{{formatnum:438576}}	{{formatnum:20885}}
colspan=3 style=text-align:left \| Total	751	705 !705	{{formatnum:445056}}	{{formatnum:631}}	{{formatnum:4238831}}	{{formatnum:6013}}

Former constituencies

{{multiple image

| align = center

| image1 = EP2009-constituencies.svg

| width1 = 300

| caption1 = Constituencies for the 2009 election

| image2 = EP2014-constituencies.svg

| width2 = 300

| caption2 = Constituencies for the 2014 election

| image3 = EP-constituencies 2019.svg

| width3 = 300

| caption3 = Constituencies for the 2019 election

}}

= Denmark =

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

= France =

File:Circonscriptions françaises européennes 2014.svg

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

= 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 =

File:UK European Parliament constituency.svg

{{main|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".https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0129_EN.html See Article 15 Union-wide constituency 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.{{Cite web |last=Kurmayer |first=Nikolaus J. |date=2022-05-03 |title=European Parliament agrees position on EU election law overhaul |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/european-parliament-agrees-position-on-eu-election-law-overhaul/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.euractiv.com |language=en-GB}} However in July 2023 the reference to it was removed by the European Council.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-28 |title=European Parliament set to grow by 15 MEPs in 2024 |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-parliament-mep-election-2024/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

References

External links

[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/displayFtu.html Fact Sheets on the European Union]
[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/be/law.html European Parliament election, 2004 (Belgium) – electoral law]
[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/fi/law.html European Parliament election, 2004 (Finland) – electoral law]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20100414131545/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/fr/law.html European Parliament election, 2004 (France) – electoral law]
[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/ie/index.html European Parliament election, 2004 (Ireland) – electoral law]
[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/pl/law.html European Parliament election, 2004 (Poland) – electoral law]
[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2004/ep-election/sites/en/yourvoice/uk/law.html European Parliament election, 2004 (United Kingdom) – electoral law]

Category:European Parliament

Category:Constituencies