It should be stressed that there is a significant strain between the principles of direct representation and degressive representation, as they are stipulated in the EU Treaty. The principle of direct representation implies equal voting power and therefore supports allocation (of seats) proportional to population, while the principle of degressive representation favours allocation of seats by giving certain priority to the smaller states. The Cambridge Compromise may be viewed as prioritising direct representation over degressivity. In contrast, the Power Compromise allows greater degressivity, but at some cost to direct representation and equal voting power.