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As the European Union's only directly elected institution, the European Parliament stands at the heart of European representative democracy, the foundation upon which the EU is built. Since its creation, the Parliament's powers have evolved significantly, and it is now a fully fledged legislative body and forum for discussion and engagement, whose influence is felt in virtually all areas of EU activity. This paper offers an overview of the European Parliament's main powers, demonstrating how they ...

In June 2024, around 400 million EU citizens go to the polls to elect the Members of the European Parliament's 10th legislature. As the only EU institution that represents EU citizens, elections to the European Parliament are therefore major democratic events, and the only one at EU level that resembles national democratic electoral consultation. European elections, however, differ from the national version, as they are part of a context of multi-tier government, sometimes perceived as 'second order ...

During its November II plenary session, Parliament is due to vote on a report proposing a large number of modifications to the EU Treaties, to make radical reforms to the EU. This report follows on from debates in recent years that intensified with the Conference on the Future of Europe in 2021 and 2022. If adopted, interinstitutional discussions would resume on whether to proceed with a revision of the Treaties.

During the October II plenary session, Parliament is expected to elect a new vice-president and a new quaestor. This vote is necessary as two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to national parliaments in general elections, and must therefore vacate their seats in the European Parliament and their respective offices of vice-president and quaestor.

Following a vote in the Constitutional Affairs Committee on 11 September, the European Parliament is expected to vote in plenary in September on giving its consent to a decision of the European Council establishing Parliament's composition for the next term. This decision would adjust the current distribution of seats among Member States, to a total of 720, taking into account demographic changes that have occurred since the 2018 decision that redistributed seats following the UK's withdrawal from ...

In May 2023, the Council of the EU confirmed that the next elections to the European Parliament – the tenth since the first direct elections in 1979 – will take place from 6 to 9 June 2024. Ahead of Election Day, candidates and political parties will carry out electoral activities throughout the European Union (EU) to explain their political programmes and vision for the future of the EU to the electorate. In the same context, debates will take place on national platforms and media. Currently, election ...

The European Parliament set up its Transparency Register in 1995, in response to criticism regarding the transparency and accountability of the EU's decision-making process in the context of widespread lobbying of the EU institutions. The Commission followed suit in 2008. The two institutions merged their instruments in a joint European Transparency Register in 2011 on the basis of an interinstitutional agreement (IIA); the Council remained only an observer at that time. This original Transparency ...

During the July 2023 plenary session, Members will vote on the own-initiative report of the ING2 special committee laying down recommendations to strengthen Parliament's rules on transparency, integrity, accountability and countering corruption, in the context of protecting it from foreign interference.

Cannabis is by far the most commonly used illicit drug (referred to as drug in this briefing) in the European Union (EU), where its distribution, cultivation, possession and use (consumption) are largely prohibited. The prohibition of drug-related activities other than those performed for medical or scientific purposes is the defining feature of the international drug control system. Set up by the United Nations (UN), this system is composed of three complementary conventions, to which all EU Member ...

With the intention of informing discussion in the approach to the 2024 European elections, this study examines the historical, factual and legal aspects surrounding the Spitzenkandidaten, or lead candidate process, which establishes a political link between the nomination of the President of the European Commission and the political composition of the European Parliament. This study retraces the evolution of Parliament's role in the investiture of the President of the Commission, explains the reasons ...