Strasbourg, 12 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The European Parliament is to grow by 15 seats following the European elections next June, increasing the total number of parliamentarians to 720.

The 15 extra seats are to be divided among 12 different EU member countries, European Union lawmakers decided on Wednesday in Strasbourg, France.

France, the Netherlands and Spain are to receive two more seats each. Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Austria, Poland, Finland, Slovenia and Slovakia will each receive one additional mandate.

The extra seats are meant to reflect demographic changes in the population of the EU since the last European elections were held in 2019.

Photo: MIA archive