Minister-delegate Negrescu says Romanian citizens are to be better represented at European Parliament level

Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu hails the approval on Wednesday by the European Parliament (EP) of the draft European Council Decision establishing the composition of the EP in its future legislature, with Romania winning one more mandate following this vote. 

"After the UK leaves the European Union, Romania becomes the sixth country in terms of weight in the European Union and the Romanian citizens will be, thus, better represented at the level of the European Parliament. This means more responsibility towards the European project which our country is preparing for, in the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first semester of next year," Victor Negrescu stated according to a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE). 

MEPs approved by 566 votes in favour, 94 against and 31 abstentions the draft European Council Decision, according to which in its future legislature the European Parliament will be made up of 705 members (compared to 751 at present) elected on national lists, if the UK exits the European Union until the respective moment, the MAE informs. 

In this situation, according to the new distribution key, Romania will obtain an additional mandate compared to the current legislature, namely 33 mandates against the 32 that it currently holds. 

According to the MAE, the draft European Council Decision is part of the legislative package that supplements the legal framework for carrying out the European elections of 2019 and it was generated by the necessity to establish a future structure of the European Parliament if the UK leaves the EU by that time. 

The European elections will be held at the member states level between 23-26 May 2019.