The European Parliament
The European Parliament is the institution that represents European citizens and it is the only directly elected body within the EU. Elections are held in all member countries every 5 years (the last elections took place in 2019).
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RolePresidentMembersEstablished in
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legislative, supervisory and budgetary responsibilities
Roberta Metsola (since 2022, replacing late David Sassoli)
705 MEPs
1952 as Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, 1962 as European Parliament, first elections took place in 1979
Strasbourg (holds plenary sessions), Brussels (holds extra sessions and committee meetings) and Luxembourg (is the seat of the Secretariat)
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What does it do?
The Parliament has three main powers:
- Legislative (Passing EU laws, jointly with the Council of the EU, based on European Commission's proposals)
- Supervisory (Supervising all EU institutions, examining citizens' petitions and setting up inquiries)
- Budgetary (Supervising EU's spending and establishing the EU budget, together with the Council of the EU)
Composition
705 members (704 plus the President) grouped by political orientation, not by nationality. The President represents Parliament to the other EU institutions and the outside world.
How does it work?
Parliament's work divides into two different stages
Stage 1: Committees to prepare legislation; MEPs are divided into 20 committees that examine law proposals
Stage 2: Plenary sessions to pass legislation; MEPs gather in Strasbourg for 4 days to give the final vote on the proposed laws and amendments
Stage 1: Committees to prepare legislation; MEPs are divided into 20 committees that examine law proposals
Stage 2: Plenary sessions to pass legislation; MEPs gather in Strasbourg for 4 days to give the final vote on the proposed laws and amendments
Selection and design by:
Matteo Bello (Liceo Classico e Linguistico "F. Petrarca", Trieste, Italy, 2020)
Matteo Bello (Liceo Classico e Linguistico "F. Petrarca", Trieste, Italy, 2020)