Yesterday we voted in Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs on a proposal for the composition of the European Parliament after the next European elections.

Although this would appear to be an issue guaranteed to set Member States in conflict with each other, in fact a very large consensus (70%) rallied behind the proposal drafted by the Committee. This is because, once you take account of the constraints laid down by the treaty (minimum of six per country, maximum of 96 and the principle of "degressive proportionality" whereby the bigger a country's population the more seats it has but tapering so that MEPs from larger Member States represent more electors than those from smaller Member States), there's little practical leeway and the solution is pretty obvious. It focuses on correcting the main anomalies that have occurred over the years due to demographic change (and the bargaining of Mr Aznar at Nice in 2000 when he secured in the Nice Treaty extra votes for Spain in the Council at the expense of seats in the European Parliament. As the former will be changed by the new Reform Treaty, the latter requires correction as well.)

Of course, MEPs from some countries "tried it on". Some Irish said that their population is due to rise faster over the next decade and that this should be anticipated already. Some Italians argued that the number of citizens not residents should be counted for their population so that they can count the 3-4million Italian citizens resident in Argentina. The Poles made much of the fact that 3million Poles live in other EU countries - but they are, of course, allowed to vote in those countries in European elections.

But it was the British Conservatives that had the most bizarre position, having proclaimed loudly (and written letters to the other parties) to say Britain was underrepresented compared to smaller countries. Yet the only amendment they tabled was to give Italy an extra seat at the expense of France! Not a single Conservative MEP attended the meeting to explain their rationale so it will remain a mystery for now.