Bulgaria will keep the same number of members of the European Parliament (MEPs) that it has a right to elect for the next European Parliament (EP) between 2009 and 2014.

The country had a right to 18 MEP seats, Bulgarian news agency BTA said.
EP consists of 786 MEPs.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Cyprus and Luxembourg are the only five countries which did not loose MEP seats. Austria, Sweden, Slovenia and Malta win an extra MEP.

On October 2 2007, the EP Constitutional Affairs committee approved with significant majority the distribution of the seats between the EU member states, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Only 5 out of 25 members of the committee voted against, 17 voted in favour and three abstained from voting.

EP is to discuss and vote the decision on October 11 2007 during its plenary session. The decision will be official when the state and governmental leaders of the member states approve it at their summit in Lisbon on October 18 and 19.

AFP said that the EP seats distribution is among the last hindrances before the final preparation of the new European contract, which is to replace the overruled European Constitution. Under to the contract the number of the MEPs will be decreased to 750. Countries will have a minimum of six and a maximum of 96 MEPs.