European Parliament
The European Parliament is one of the seven institutions of the European Union, established to act as a directly elected legislative body representing the citizens of the EU member states. Here are some key details:
History
- 1952: The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) established the Common Assembly, which later evolved into the European Parliament. This body was initially composed of members of national parliaments.
- 1979: The first direct elections to the European Parliament were held, marking a significant shift towards democratic legitimacy.
- 1992: The Treaty of Maastricht formalized the European Parliament's role in the legislative process, increasing its powers.
- 2009: The Treaty of Lisbon further expanded the Parliament's powers, particularly in areas like co-decision with the Council of the European Union and oversight of the EU budget.
Functions
- Legislative Power: The European Parliament shares legislative power with the Council of the European Union. It has the right of co-decision in many policy areas.
- Budgetary Control: It shares authority with the Council over the EU budget, approving or rejecting it and having the power to make amendments.
- Supervisory Role: It elects the President of the European Commission, approves or rejects the appointment of the Commission as a whole, and can censure the Commission by a two-thirds majority, forcing its resignation.
- Democratic Oversight: The Parliament has the right to question members of the European Commission, and it exercises political control through hearings and inquiries.
Composition and Elections
- The European Parliament consists of 705 members (MEPs) following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
- MEPs are elected every five years by universal suffrage, with elections held across all EU member states.
- Seats are distributed according to the principle of degressive proportionality, meaning smaller countries have more seats per capita than larger ones.
- There are currently 27 EU member states, each with its own electoral system for selecting MEPs.
Location
The European Parliament has three primary work locations:
- Strasbourg, France: The official seat where plenary sessions are held 12 times a year.
- Brussels, Belgium: The location for most committee meetings and additional plenary sessions.
- Luxembourg: Hosts the Secretariat of the European Parliament.
Political Groups
MEPs sit in political groups, not by nationality. These groups represent various political ideologies:
Sources
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