European Parliament [print sheet]
Last updated: 24/04/07

The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected EU institution and, as such, is seen as giving democratic legitimacy to the EU. However, it does not have the powers of a normal national parliament in that it cannot propose new legislation: it can only accept, reject or put forward amendments to laws proposed by the Commission. This has contributed to an image problem for the EP, with many European voters unsure of its role and exceptionally low turnouts in EU elections. The Parliament has also been dogged by organisation problems arising from its split locations and the number of different political groups that make it up.

Originally created as an appointed body under the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the European Parliament has gained greater prominence since it became a directly elected body in 1979.  During the early 1980s, the Parliament attempted to gain greater power. Under the Single European Act (1986) it was given the power to veto the entry of a new member state, and under the Maastricht Treaty (1992) it gained the power of co-decision with the Council of the European Union. Yet, despite this expansion of authority, the Parliament has still had to compete with the more powerful Commission.  This tension between the elected and appointed branches of the EU came to a head in 1999 when the Parliament used its powers to force the resignation of the entire Commission led by Jacques Santer.

The EP meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, as well as having offices in Luxembourg. Elections are held every five years, and every EU citizen who is registered as a voter is entitled to vote. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) do not sit in national blocks, but in eight Europe-wide political groups. The largest of these are the European People's Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) and the Socialist Group. The work of the EP is overseen by the President, currently Hans-Gert Pöttering of the EPP-ED group.

The present parliament, elected in June 2004, has 785 MEPs of which seventy-eight are British. They are elected under proportional representation to represent regions (like South-west England or Scotland). The number of MEPs each country has reflects its population. Although the EP represents the electorate's interests in discussions with the other EU institutions, it cannot propose legislation; only discuss, propose amendments, and vote to accept or reject laws proposed by the Commission. EP committees can produce 'own-initiative' reports, which recommend legislation to the Commission - although the Commission is under no obligation to act on these. In order for a new EU law or budget to pass, it must have the support of both the EP and the Council of the European Union. The other significant power the EP has is that of 'democratic supervision' over the Commission - giving it the power to sack the Commission through a vote of censure.

• 238 MEPs are women. This is around 30%, compared to less than 20% in the House of Commons.
• The UK MEPs' salary for 2006-7 is £60,277.
• Average turn-out in the 2004 EU elections was 45.6%.
• 1.07m EU citizens have signed an online petition in favour of the EP sitting only in Brussels.

For

• The Parliament is important in bringing democracy to an organisation largely run by un-elected officials.
• The Parliament allows many different views to be expressed about the European project.
• The Parliament has important roles in overseeing EU legislation and the operation of EU institutions.

Against

• The European Parliament is not really a parliament because it doesn't have real powers; it is little more than a talking shop.
• MEPs earn the same as British MPs even though they have less power and responsibility.
• The electorate doesn't take the EU parliament seriously - meaning turnout is very low.
• The way the Parliament is run - on multiple sites - makes it hugely expensive. The cost of moving the Parliament to Strasbourg once every month is estimated at £135m per year.

‘[The] European Parliament has a duty to encourage this interest in Europe by providing access to all the views expressed within it.’  Josep Borrell Fontelles, European Parliament President, 2005

‘There are a number of people who get a seat in Parliament who simply shouldn't be there. They lack qualifications and only add noise and disruption.’  Ben Crum, Centre for European Policy Studies