The population of the EU: + 1,4 million inhabitants. West advances, East retreats

(BRUSSELS2) The European Union today adopted the decision which officially fixes the population in the European Union and in each Member State. A statistic that has increased decision-making importance since the Treaty of Lisbon which adopted the double majority.

I have taken these figures by putting them into perspective to measure the evolution compared to last year (2010) or compared to what existed six years ago (2005). We thus have an increase of 1,4 million inhabitants in one year, of almost 11 million in six years. It is also interesting to see that 4 countries essentially supply this demographic dynamic: Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Italy. Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and even Ireland also contribute to this increase, less significantly in gross figures but relative to their size, this increase is sometimes proportionally higher.

Central Europe in decline

At the other end of the scale, the countries of central and eastern Europe (including Germany) are experiencing negative or sluggish demographics. Romania and Bulgaria lead the European figures. The first has lost more than 1 million inhabitants in six years, the second more than 400.000 inhabitants, or close to 5% of their population. The Baltic countries, Hungary are not in a better position. Germany, especially, with almost 800.000 fewer inhabitants over the years, is a nation in decline. It continues to lose tens of thousands of inhabitants, even if this fall is slowing down. Poland is in status quo. Only the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and to a lesser extent Slovenia and Austria are progressing.

The lesson will be to be examined in a few years. But if the rules of proportionality are applied in elections to the European Parliament, the countries of central and eastern Europe (in the geographical sense) could lose a few deputies to the benefit of the countries of the West and the South.

Read also: The European Union passes the milestone of half a billion inhabitants

NB: these figures are taken from the decision amending the Board's rules of procedure, to be downloaded from the B2 documents. The calculations made were then done (on my "Member States Votes" database which I keep up to date since a famous summit of 4 days and 3 nights, ten years ago, in Nice)