The assembly of the representatives of the 370 million Union citizens. Parliaments main role is to consider the Commissions proposals. It is associated with the Council in the legislative process, in some cases as co-legislator.
The parliament is the only directly elected body in the European Union and the only elected international assembly in the world. So far it only has consultative powers. MEPs are elected at national level in member states.
the part of the European Union directly elected by the citizens. A unique institution, it is the only supranational directly-elected parliament in the world. (more information)
The European Parliament is directly elected every five years. Member States return Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in rough relation to their size (though smaller countries return more MEPs than their population would strictly suggest). The Parliament has, with the Council of Ministers, an important role in the legislative and budgetary processes of the EU. It also oversees the work of the Commission. Ireland returned 13 MEPs in the elections in June 2004.
Originally called an 'assembly'. This is the 'talking shop' of the union. It has fairly limited (but growing) powers, and often acts as a useful safety valve.
The European Parliament is the assembly of the representatives of Union citizens. Since 1979 they have been elected by direct universal suffrage. Parliament's main functions are as follows : it considers the Commission's proposals and is associated with the Council in the legislative process by means of various procedures (codecision, cooperation, etc.); it has the power of control over the Union's activities through its confirmation of the appointment of the Commission (and the right to remove it from office) and through the written and oral questions it can put to the Commission and the Council; it shares budgetary powers with the Council in voting on the annual budget and overseeing its implementation.
Since 1979 the European Parliament has been elected by direct universal suffrage. The distribution of its 626 seats among the Member States is roughly according to their population size. It considers the Commission's proposals, in conjunction with the Council. It also has power over the EU's activities through its confirmation of the appointment of the Commission (and the right to censure it) and through the written and oral questions it can put to the Commission and the Council. It shares budgetary powers with the Council in voting on the annual budget and overseeing its implementation. The Nice Treaty limits the future number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to a maximum of 732, with effect from the June 2004 elections.
The directly elected assembly of the EC, with limited legislative and juridical competence, though this has been extended in successive treaty amendments. Its powers include the ability to veto the appointment of commissioners and the EU budgetIt has the right of scrutiny and supervision of EC executives, and participates in the legislative and budgetary processes. It is currently composed o 732 members (78 from the UK), elected every five years according to the real electoral rules of each member state.
The European Parliament is the only democratically elected institution directly representing the interests of the EU's 450 million citizens. Its chief tasks are dealing with the legislative proposals issued by the Commission for which it has either a consultative or co-legislative role with the Council. It also shares control of the EU's ?15 billion annual budget with the Council and has the sole final right of approval.
The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary Assembly) is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. Together with the Council of Ministers, it composes the legislative branch of the institutions of the Union. It meets in two locations: Strasbourg and Brussels.