The European Parliament

The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union. Since 1979 the citizens of the EU have elected the members of Parliament. The seats for the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are proportionately distributed according to the population of each Member State. Currently there are 732 Members working in seven political groups.

After the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, Member States will not be able to have more than 96 seats or less than 6 seats, and the total number of seats will be fixed at 750. The European Parliament’s Commissions work in Brussels, but the plenary sessions are held monthly in Strasbourg, France, and its Secretary works in Luxemburg.

Competences:

1. Legislative power:
The European Parliament shares legislative power equally with the Council of the European Union. This means it is empowered to adopt European laws (directives, regulations etc,). It can accept, amend or reject the content of European legislation.

2. Budgetary power:
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union together constitute the Union’s budgetary authority, which decides each year on its expenditure and revenue. The procedures for examining and adopting the budget occur between June and late December.

3. Supervisory power
The European Parliament has major supervisory powers over the activities of the European Union. These include the Parliament’s power to inquire about violations of Community law by Member States, right of recourse before the Court of Justice of the European Communities, powers of control in the economic and monetary domain, and the citizens’ right of petition.

Website of the European Parliament