Enforcement of the provisions of Article 16(4) of the Treaty of Lisbon

7.11.2013

Question for written answer E-012613-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Zbigniew Ziobro (EFD)

According to Protocol No 36 ‘On Transitional Provisions’ (OJ C 83, 30.3.2010, p. 322), ‘In accordance with Article 16(4) of the Treaty on European Union, the provisions of that paragraph and of Article 238(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union relating to the definition of the qualified majority in the European Council and the Council shall take effect on 1 November 2014’. The populations of the individual Member States must therefore be formally determined in order for the Treaties to be implemented next year. The figures obtained will determine the weighting of votes in the Council, and hence the relative importance of each country within the EU structures. A great many Polish citizens emigrate to other EU Member States, and yet the Commission has proposed that the population of a Member State should be equivalent to the number of people living there.

What method will be used to calculate Member State populations (date of calculation, allowances for migratory flows)?

How will it be ensured that citizens who are outside the territory of their home Member State on the date of calculation are included in these calculations?

OJ C 228, 17/07/2014