The Members of the Parliament (MEPs), dating back to the 1950s and the founding treaties, are directly elected by those whom they represent since 1979.

Elections are held every five years, and every EU citizen registered as a voter has the right to vote. This way, the parliament expresses the democratic aspirations of approximately 500 million citizens of the EU and represents their interests in negotiations with other institutions.

MEPs do not sit along national party lines in the European Parliament, but in seven political groups that exist throughout Europe. In this range, parliamentarians represent all views on European integration from the advocates of the federalist structure to the European sceptics (Eurosceptics).

Where is the Parliament located?

The Parliament has three seats: Brussels, Belgium; Luxembourg; and Strasbourg, France. Luxembourg hosts the Secretariat of the Parliament. Meetings with all parliamentarians, known as “Plenary Sessions,” are held in Strasbourg and sometimes in Brussels. In addition, committee meetings are held in Brussels.

What does Parliament do?

Parliament has three main roles as follows:

1. Passing EU laws together with the Council in many policy areas,
   The direct election of the Parliament by citizens helps to guarantee the democratic legitimacy of the EU law;
2. Parliament exercises democratic oversight over other EU institutions, especially the Commission.
   Parliament has the authority to reject or ratify commissioner candidates and has the right to reject the Commission as a body.
3. Parliament, along with the Council, has authority over the EU budget and can, thus, influence EU spending. At the end of this procedure, it might approve or reject the budget as a whole.

Seats per country (2009-2014)
(Country names in alphabetical order, according to their own language)