Incoming EU parliament lacking ethnic diversity

The incoming European Parliament is lacking diversity, data collected by Euronews shows. Some 37 of the newly elected 720 MEPs have a diverse background, this is about the same figure as in 2019, when the previous EU election was held.

We looked at lawmakers who were born in a country outside the EU – or for whom one parent was – or those that represent a minority such as ethnic Hungarians in Romania. 

In the 2019 – 2024 mandate, the UK (which left the European Union in 2020) elected the most ethnic minority MEPs (seven out of 73 seats), followed by France (six out of 79 seats).

During the June 2024 EU election, France picked the most diverse MEPs (ten out of 81), followed by Sweden (five out of 21). Germany and Romania each voted in three lawmakers with a different background. 

A spokesperson for the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) told Euronews that the lack of meaningful representation in the Parliament “reinforces our findings that this institution does not reflect the diversity of the European population. This trend highlights the urgent need for greater inclusion and representation within EU political structures.”

Already in 2019, ENAR said that while racial and ethnic minorities make up at least 10% of the European Union population, they made up about 36 (5%) the total number of 751 elected MEPs. This number dipped to 4% after the UK left the bloc.

Brussels – home to the EU Parliament – is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the world with some 184 different nationalities represented.

Parties responsible for better representation

Among the French lawmakers is Arash Saeidi (GUE/NGL), who was born in Iran. Saeidi, elected on behalf of the leftwing party La France Insoumise, told Euronews that he is “not surprised” about the numbers because the EU election is conducted nationally, where the picture is similar.

“France is not among the worst countries, but it’s the responsibility of the national parties to make sure there’s a better representation,” he said.

France also has three lawmakers among its MEPs from Réunion and Guadeloupe, its overseas departments. Countries like the Netherlands, which also has such territories, do not have any lawmakers from the Caribbean part of its Kingdom in the delegation. 

Lawmaker Rima Hassan (GUE/NGL), who is French and Palestinian, was elected in June and previously worked as a lawyer and human rights activist.

She told Euronews that the “political underrepresentation of racialized European citizens should concern us, as it reflects the consequences—among many others—of systemic racism that we have been denouncing for years, but which many policymakers still struggle to address.”

“The fight against racial discrimination must include a greater proportion of candidates from minority backgrounds, who are best positioned to bring the issue of anti-racism to all levels of political representation, thereby enhancing democratic legitimacy,” she added.

Belgium is one of the eight countries that just has one MEP with a non-EU background: Assita Kanko (ECR), who was born in Burkina Faso. She entered the EU Parliament in 2019 and was re-elected in June. Ten member states, including Portugal, Malta and Ireland, did not elect any lawmaker with a different ethnicity. 

European Parliament diversity efforts

In 2021, the Parliament’s Bureau – which includes its President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors – agreed to make the administration itself more diverse. 

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To reach this target by 2024, the Bureau approved a two-year roadmap of ambitious milestones on disability, LGBTIQ+ matters and racial and ethnic diversity. One of the objectives on anti-racism is to foster ethnic diversity among parliamentary staff.

A spokesperson for the Parliament told Euronews that all members of staff now joining the institutions are “receiving extensive information on diversity and inclusion via info sessions.”

However, the diversity problem is wider than the Parliament alone, ENAR said in its analysis of the lawmakers elected in the 2019-2024 mandate.

“The European Commission has a staff of over 33,000 and has real power in European policy making, and yet it publishes no data on racial/ethnic diversity, nor does it implement positive action to improve representation.” 

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In a letter sent to the incoming Commission, more than 130 civil society organisations – including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — called for equality and non-discrimination to beincluded as central priorities in its work for the next five years.

The new Parliament also saw the biggest percentage drop in female representation since the first direct elections in 1979. Women will make up 38.5% of MEPs – 277 out of 720 – 2.1% fewer than in the previous legislature, when they held 46% of seats.

According to the spokesperson’s service the Parliament’s High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity will resume its work in the next term, “continuing the implementation of gender mainstreaming within Parliament’s activities, structures and bodies, and to renew its commitment to promote the values of equality and non-discrimination in Parliament’s administration.”