European Parliament

Flag of the European Parliament (1973-1983)

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F023908-0002, Straßburg, Tagung des Europarates

Europa Parlament 1985

Bolkestein

MEPs condemn Hamas attack on Israel and call for a humanitarian pause - 53271623613

CantinesEUbrussel

European Parliament

The European Parliament (EP) is one of the three main institutions governing the European Union (EU), alongside the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. As the EU's only directly elected body, it represents the interests of the Union's citizens and exercises legislative, supervisory, and budgetary functions.

History

The European Parliament was established in 1952 as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and later became the European Parliamentary Assembly. It was renamed the European Parliament in 1962. Initially, its members were appointed by the member states from among their own national parliaments. The first direct elections were held in 1979, and since then, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have been elected every five years.

Composition

The European Parliament is composed of MEPs who are elected by the citizens of the member states of the EU. The number of MEPs representing each country is roughly proportional to its population, but no country can have fewer than six or more than ninety-six MEPs. This system is designed to ensure both the representation of smaller states and the proportional representation of the EU's citizens.

Powers and Functions

The European Parliament exercises several key functions:

• Legislative: The EP shares legislative power with the Council of the European Union. It is involved in the EU's ordinary legislative procedure, which allows it to adopt, amend, or reject legislation. The areas in which it co-legislate include economic governance, immigration, energy, transport, the environment, and consumer protection.

• Budgetary: The EP shares authority over the EU budget with the Council. It has the power to adopt or reject the budget in its entirety.

• Supervisory: The EP exercises supervisory powers over other EU institutions. It has the power to approve or reject the appointment of the European Commission, and it can censure the Commission, forcing it to resign. The Parliament also examines petitions from citizens and sets up inquiries.

Elections

European Parliament elections are held every five years, with the most recent taking place in 2019. The elections are conducted according to national electoral laws, but there are common rules, such as proportional representation and the option for states to use a threshold of up to 5% for the allocation of seats.

Political Groups

Inside the European Parliament, MEPs are not organized by nationality but by political affiliation. There are several political groups, each representing a specific political ideology. These groups include the European People's Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe (RE), and others. MEPs who do not belong to any of these groups are classified as non-attached members.

Location

The European Parliament has three official seats: Strasbourg (France), where the official sessions are held; Brussels (Belgium), where additional sessions and committee meetings take place; and Luxembourg, the location of the administrative offices (the General Secretariat).

Challenges and Criticisms

The European Parliament faces various challenges and criticisms, including issues related to its multi-location setup, which is seen as costly and inefficient. There is also ongoing debate about the democratic deficit in the EU, with some arguing that the Parliament needs more powers to fully represent the citizens of the EU.