The European ParliamentThe European Parliament

Riina Luik - Public Affairs

European Parliament Information Office in the UK

The European Union The European Union InstitutionsInstitutions

The EU Institutions

The European Parliament

The only directly elected EU body. It represents the EU’s 500 million inhabitants (the world's third largest population after China and India) and plays a key role in electing the president of the European Commission. It shares power over the EU budget and legislation with the Council of the European Union.

The European CommissionThe EU’s executive body, it is responsible for proposing and implementing EU laws, monitoring the treaties and the day-to-day running of the EU.

The European CouncilThe EU’s broad priorities are set by the European Council, which brings together national and EU-level leaders. It is led by its president and comprises national heads of state or government and the president of the Commission.

The Council of The European UnionThe Council of the European Union represents the governments of the individual Member States. The Presidency of the Council is shared by the Member States on a rotating basis.

* * * * * * * *

The Court of Justice

The Court of Auditors

The European Central Bank

The EU Institutions

28 commissioners (1 from each Member states)

Right of initiative

Implementation of the European policies and budget

Council of the EU

28 ministers representing the Member States

Adoption of legislation and budget

Concluding international agreements

European Commission

European Parliament 751 members representing

the European citizens, directly elected

Adoption of legislation and budget

Scrutinises other EU institutions, particularly the EU Commission, to make sure they are working democratically.

European Council

Heads of State or Government of the Member States

Defines the general political direction and priorities of the EU

The ordinary legislative procedure

European Commission

European Parliament

Council of the EU

First reading

Second reading

Third reading

First reading

Second reading

Third reading

Right of initiative

Conciliation committee

The ordinary legislative procedure

Key figures of the European Union

Martin Schulz Martin Schulz President of the President of the

European European ParliamentParliament

Donald TuskDonald TuskPresident of the President of the

European European CouncilCouncil

Jean-Claude JunckerJean-Claude JunckerPresident of the President of the

European CommissionEuropean Commission

Federica MogheriniFederica MogheriniHigh High

Representative Representative

Luxembourg Luxembourg Presidency of the Presidency of the

Council of the European Council of the European UnionUnion

The European ParliamentThe European Parliament

EP Timeline: from past to present• 9 May 1950: Schuman Declaration

French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposes a plan to transform Europe through a step-by-step process with the aim to make future war in Europe impossible and lead to the unification of the continent.

• 23 July 1952 : Treaty of Paris comes into forceThe Treaty of Paris establishes the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which aims to build a common market for coal and steel to avoid future conflicts over these valuable resources. The founding members of the Community are Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.

• 19 March 1958 : European Parliament is born

• March 1962 : European Parliament: a new name The parliamentary assembly starts calling itself the European Parliament, a name officially sanctioned only in 1987.

• 1 January 1973 : First enlargement • Denmark, Ireland and the UK become the first countries to join the European communities.

• 1 January 1981 : Greece joins • Greece becomes the 10th member state of the European communities.

• 16 December 1981 : President-in-office Margaret Thatcher in EP • Margaret Thatcher becomes the first of the presidents in office of the European Council to

appear in front of the European Parliament to give an account of the discussions among member state leaders.

EP Timeline: from past to present• 1 January 1986 : Iberian enlargement

• Spain and Portugal join in the "Iberian enlargement".

• 1 July 1987 : Single European Act enters in force • The Single European Act formulates the objective of creating a single market by removing

barriers and harmonising standards. It introduces the cooperation and assent procedures that for the first time give the EP a real say on legislation, and makes the name "European Parliament" official.

• 12 May 1992 :Queen Elizabeth II addresses the EP • Queen Elizabeth II praises the contribution of the European Parliament to European democracy

in a speech to MEPs in Strasbourg. The British monarch highlights the role of European integration in bringing reconciliation and reinforcing political and economic change throughout Europe.

• 1 November 1993 : Maastricht Treaty establishes European Union • The Maastricht Treaty paves the way for the creation of the European Union and the euro. It

introduces the codecision procedure giving Parliament an equal say with the Council in some areas of legislation and gives Parliament the power to approve the Commission as a whole.

• 1 January 1995 : Austria, Finland, Sweden join EU • Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU bringing the number of member states to 15.

• May 2001 : Transparency: public access to EU documents• Parliament and Council sign into law a regulation setting rules for public access to documents of

EU institutions.

EP Timeline: from past to present• 1 January 2002 : Euro is launched

• Euro notes and coins come into circulation - a crucial stage in the construction of an economic and monetary union in Europe.

• 1 February 2003 : Treaty of Nice • The Treaty of Nice reforms EU institutions to allow for the EU enlargement to Eastern Europe.

It further extends the application of codecision.

• 1 May 2004 : EU expands to the east • Ten countries, mostly from Eastern Europe, join the EU in the largest enlargement so far:

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

• 1 January 2007 : EU grows to 27 member states • Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.

• 1 April 2012 : European Citizens' Initiative enters into force • European Citizens' Initiative enters into force - an instrument introduced with the Lisbon Treaty

that allows people to have direct influence on the EU political agenda.

• 1 July 2013 : Croatia joins the EU • Croatia becomes the 28th member of the EU.

• 28 October 2013 : EP reaches 1,000,000 fans on Facebook • The Parliament's Facebook page reaches one million fans highlighting the role of social media in

enabling dialogue between politicians and the public.

European Parliament

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=7&v=NS8kkqdHsJI

Budgetary power

Parliament decides the EU annual budget together

with the Council

Enlargement decisions

Parliament‘s consent is required for the accession of any new Member States

Legislative power

Most EU laws are adopted jointly by the European

Parliament and the Council of the EU

Parliamentary control

Parliament supervises other EU institutions and can pass

a vote of no-confidence in the European Commission

Parliament’s powers

Organisation

• The President:• The President is elected for a renewable term of two and a half years,

i.e. half the lifetime of a Parliament. The President represents the European Parliament vis-à-vis the outside world and in its relations with the other EU institutions.

• Members:• The European Parliament is made up of 751 Members elected in the 28

Member States of the enlarged European Union. Since 1979 MEPs have been elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year period.

• Political Groups:• The Members of the European Parliament sit in political groups – they

are not organised by nationality, but by political affiliation. There are currently 8 political groups in the European Parliament.

• Committees:• In order to do the preparatory work for Parliament's plenary sittings,

the Members are divided up among a number of specialised standing committees.

• Delegations:• The European Parliament’s delegations maintain relations and exchange

information with parliaments in non-EU countries.

Members and political groupsMembers and political groups

• 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), elected for 5 years.

• Members sit in political groups/alliances (currently 8),

or they can sit as non-attached.• Each Member may belong only to 1 group.• Each group must have:•At least 25 Members,•Members from at least 7 member states (1/4 of the EU).

• Groups are typically described as left, centric, or right; and whether their views are more ‘europhile’ or ‘eurosceptic.’

MEPs• Your MEPs are your elected representatives in the European Union. Their job

is to represent your interests and those of your city or region in Europe. They do this by listening to people with local and national concerns, to interest groups and businesses. Where necessary, they question and lobby the Commission and the Council of Ministers.

• Above all, MEPs pass laws that affect many aspects of our lives, for example:• how many hours employees throughout the EU can be required to work and how much rest

and holiday they must be given;• which pesticides are safe to use on the food grown in the EU;• how much you pay for mobile phone calls when you go to another EU country;• how to use and label Genetically Modified Organisms;• making children's toys safe;• the safety of thousands of chemicals used in everyday manufactured goods such as TVs and

sofas;• cleaning up the air we breathe and the water we drink and swim in;• getting health care in another EU country either on holiday or when the queue is too long in

your own country;• making it easier to study at university in another EU country.

• MEPs also have an important role to play on the big issues of our times such as climate change, human rights in the world and the way in which we regulate our financial markets.

• MEPs have the power to approve, amend or reject nearly all EU legislation.• They hold the European Commission to account and can force it to resign.• The European Parliament also decides on the EU budget and influences how

EU money is spent.

MEPs

• https://youtu.be/kHPr-wnXJKA

• http://europarltv.europa.eu/en/player.aspx?pid=ae32032f-410d-4077-bd5b-a3f400a13c9e

Member State Seats Member State Seats

Germany BulgariaFrance Denmark United Kingdom Finland Italy Slovakia Spain CroatiaPoland Ireland Romania Lithuania Netherlands Latvia Belgium Slovenia

Czech Rep. Estonia Greece Cyprus Hungary Luxembourg Portugal Malta Sweden Austria

Seat distribution

757511

9674737354 51322621212121212018

1713131311 1111886666

Source: European Parliament

Political groups

195

35

Political groups seating plan

UK MEPs

• There are 73 UK MEPs.

• The UK is divided into twelve electoral regions made up of the nations and regions of the UK. Each region has between three and ten MEPs and each MEP in a region represents each person living there:

Eastern - 7East Midlands - 5 London - 8North East - 3North West - 8 South East - 10South West - 6 West Midlands - 7Yorkshire and Humber - 6 Wales - 4Scotland - 6Northern Ireland - 3

For example, if you live in Cambridge, all seven Eastern region MEPs represent you and you can contact any or all of them.

Political groups UK

Parliamentary committees• AFET = Foreign Affairs

• DROI = Human Rights • SEDE = Security and Defence

• AFCO = Constitutional Affairs• AGRI = Agriculture and Rural Development• BUDG = Budgets• CONT = Budgetary Control• CULT = Culture and Education• DEVE = Development• ECON = Economic and Monetary Affairs• EMPL = Employment and Social Affairs• ENVI = Environment, Public Health and Food Safety• FEMM = Women's Rights and Gender Equality• IMCO = Internal Market and Consumer Protection• INTA = International Trade• ITRE = Industry, Research and Energy• JURI = Legal Affairs• LIBE = Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs• PECH = Fisheries• PETI = Petitions• REGI = Regional Development• TRAN = Transport and TourismSpecial Committee:

• TAXE = Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect

20+2+1

Parliament’s calendar: 2015

PLENARY SESSIONS

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

EXTERNAL PARLIAMENTAR

Y ACTIVITY

POLITICAL GROUP

MEETINGS

EP Information Office in the UKEP Information Office in the UK• Our job is to raise awareness of the European Parliament (EP) and the EU

generally, and to encourage you to vote in European parliamentary elections. We are not politicians (that's the task of your MEPs) and are not there to influence your views about the EU. We have offices in London and in Edinburgh.

• We hold lots of public events at Europe House and across the country, bringing stakeholders and the public together with their MEPs, academics and think-tanks.

• We organise press briefings and keep the media informed of news stories from Brussels and Strasbourg.

• Every year, we answer thousands of enquiries, distribute publications and attend exhibitions nationwide.

• Our outreach team develops links with trade bodies, professions, companies, NGOs and anyone else who has an interest in European affairs and the role of the EP.

• We work closely with teachers, educationalists and bodies involved in active citizenship to produce and distribute on demand free and neutral resources about the EP and EU.

EducationEducation

• CPD for Teachers and Headteachers A series of three free 90-minute CPD sessions for teachers and head teachers to update subject knowledge about the EU, get free resources and speak to MEPs.

• Educational Visits to Europe House in London Free education sessions at Europe House. Specially designed to be interactive, politically neutral and suitable for for 11-18 year olds at schools and colleges, including those studying for GCSE, A-Level and BTEC qualifications. They are completely free of charge.

• Teaching Resources We have listed our own teaching resources and those of others. These are suitable for use by teachers in the UK, or those teaching a British curriculum abroad. Britain's place in the world and in or out of the European Union is a hot topic of debate in British politics and in the media. These resources will help you help your students to understand the issues.

• EUROSCOLA an opportunity for 16-18 year olds – Euroscola brings together about 600 students from all over the European Union for a day in Strasbourg discussing aspects of European integration, in multilingual working groups of 100 students. It is open to students aged 16-18.

• http://www.europarl.org.uk

• https://www.facebook.com/EPIOUK

• https://www.youtube.com/user/EpinUk

• @EPinUK

• @EPinUK_edu

• @EP_Edinburgh