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It is also noteworthy that both the plenary and the foreign affairs
committee sessions serve as an important political stage for many
political leaders and heads of states around the globe. Participation
in the parliamentary sessions is often included in high-level visit
programs. Presidents and prime ministers of various states never
miss a chance to deliver a statement at such gatherings and answer
the questions of European parliamentarians as well as receive their
feedback, support or critical comments.

Composition of the European Parliament and
the Parliament of 2024-2029

The elections for the European Parliament of June 2024 handed
parliamentary seats to 720 candidates from 27 EU member states. It is
noteworthy that in the European Parliament of 2019-2024 there were
705 members, however, demographic changes in the EU generated by
the increase of the EU population have been reflected in the number
of EU parliament members for the forthcoming elections.
Under the Lisbon Treaty, the ceiling for the number of seats in the
European Parliament is 751;thus, the number of seats will not increase
in the future unless a new EU treaty amends this provision.
In the European Parliament, each EU member state may have a
certain number of seats. The way parliamentary seats are distributed
and the principle for assembling parliamentary political groups are
truly unique: parliamentary seats are allocated in accordance to the
populations of the member states. The number of seats may vary from
96 to six. For example, Germany, with a population of more than 80
million, may have 96 European parliamentarians; Romania, with 20
million citizens, has 33 and Luxembourg, with a population of 600,000,
can be represented by only six delegates.
Such a distribution of seats does not allow EU member states to
form national delegations in the European Parliament. Instead, national
delegates from various EU member states unite in political groups of
the EU parliament.