Ireland has 13 seats in the European Parliament. Elections are held on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). At the election for the Ninth European Parliament held in 2019, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected from the following constituencies:
| Constituency | Area | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | The counties of: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin;
and the city of Dublin. |
4 |
| Midlands–North-West | The counties of: Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath;
and the city of Galway. |
4 |
| South | The counties of: Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow;
the cities and counties of Limerick and Waterford; and the city of Cork. |
5 |
In June 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution to add an additional 11 MEPs. Ireland would gain one MEP under this arrangement, increasing from 13 to 14.[1][2] This was adopted by the European Council in September 2023.[3] The Electoral Commission sought submissions on a review of European Parliament Constituencies.[4] In a report in November 2023, it recommended that the additional seat be given to the constituency of Midlands–North-West, with the transfer of County Laois and County Offaly from South.[5][6]
Changes
This lists the number of MEPs elected at each European Parliament election by constituency.[7]
| Election | Constituencies | Total seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1973) | (MEPs nominated by Oireachtas) | 10[8] | |||
| Dublin | Leinster | Munster | Connacht–Ulster | ||
| 1979 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 1984 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 1989 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 1994 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| 1999 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| Dublin | East | South | North-West | ||
| 2004 | 4 | 3 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 13 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 3 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 12 |
| Dublin | South | Midlands–North-West | |||
| 2014 | 3 | 4[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] | 4[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] | 11[9] | |
| 2019 | 4[lower-alpha 6] | 5[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 6] | 4[lower-alpha 7] | 13[10] | |
- 1 2 County Clare moved from Munster/South to Connacht–Ulster/North–West.
- 1 2 Counties Longford and Westmeath moved from East to North–West.
- ↑ Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow moved from East to South.
- 1 2 County Clare moved from North-West to South.
- ↑ Counties of Kildare, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly and Westmeath moved from East.
- 1 2 The last candidate elected in 2019 in Dublin and in South did not take their seat until after the United Kingdom had left the EU on 31 January 2020.
- 1 2 Counties Laois and Offaly moved from Midlands–North-West to South.
European Parliament constituencies since 1979
1979–2004
2004–2009
2009–2014
2014–2019
2019–present
See also
References
- ↑ Cunningham, Paul (16 March 2023). "Ireland to gain seat in next European Parliament term". RTÉ News. RTÉ News.
- ↑ Meskill, Tommy (15 June 2023). "Ireland set to gain extra EU Parliament seat". RTÉ News. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ↑ European Council Decision (EU) 2023/2061 of 22 September 2023 establishing the composition of the European Parliament
- ↑ "Review of European Parliament Constituencies". Electoral Commission. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ↑ Burns, Sarah (20 November 2023). "Extra European Parliament seat recommended for Midlands-North West". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ "Review of European Parliament Constituencies Report 2023" (PDF). Electoral Commission. 20 November 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Main reference: Constituency Commission (23 October 2007). "Chapter 6: European Parliament Constituencies" (PDF). Report on Dáil and European Parliament Constituencies 2007. pp. 37–43. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
- ↑ "Appointment of Delegates to the Assembly of European Communities: Motion.". Parliamentary Debates: Seanad Éireann. Government of Ireland. 20 December 1972. pp. Vol. 73, pp.1460–61. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
- ↑ "Report on European Parliament Constituencies 2013" (PDF). Constituency Commission. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ↑ "Dublin and Ireland South to gain extra European Parliament seats". RTÉ News. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.