How the European Parliament works: a citizen’s guide
The European Parliament is the only institution of the European Union directly elected by citizens. Every five years, voters in the 27 member states choose their representatives — currently 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), distributed by population from Malta’s six seats to Germany’s 96.
What the Parliament does
Three core functions define the Parliament’s role. First, legislation: together with the Council of the EU, it adopts most European laws under the ordinary legislative procedure. Second, the budget: it shares budgetary authority with the Council, approving the EU’s seven-year financial framework and the annual budget. Third, scrutiny: it elects the President of the European Commission, approves or rejects the College of Commissioners as a whole, and can dismiss the Commission through a motion of censure.
Two seats, one institution
The Parliament uniquely operates from two cities. Strasbourg hosts twelve plenary sessions a year, anchored by the Treaties as the official seat. Brussels hosts committee meetings, political group work, and additional mini-plenaries. A general secretariat in Luxembourg handles administration.
Political groups, not national delegations
MEPs sit in transnational political groups, not by nationality. To form a group, members need at least 23 MEPs from at least seven member states. The main families span the European People’s Party (centre-right), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (centre-left), Renew Europe (liberal), the Greens, the European Conservatives and Reformists, and groups on the harder right and left.
Committees: where the real work happens
Most legislative work passes through the Parliament’s twenty standing committees, covering everything from foreign affairs to fisheries. Each committee appoints a rapporteur to lead the work on a given file, negotiates amendments, and prepares the position the full Parliament will vote on.
What the Parliament cannot do
Two important limits set the Parliament apart from a national legislature. It cannot initiate legislation — that monopoly belongs to the European Commission. And in several sensitive areas — taxation, foreign policy, treaty change — it has only a consultative role; the Council decides alone.
Why it matters
For most of its history, the Parliament was a consultative body with limited powers. Successive treaties — Maastricht (1992), Amsterdam (1997), Nice (2001) and especially Lisbon (2009) — turned it into a co-legislator on most policy areas. Today, virtually every law that shapes the European single market, environmental standards, digital rules, or migration policy passes through its hemicycle.
