Glossary:European Parliament (EP)
From Statistics Explained
The European Parliament, abbreviated as EP, is the only directly elected body of the European Union. Together with the Council of the European Union, it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the EU's institutions. The Parliament is composed of 736 members, who are directly elected every five years by voters in the 27 Member States.
The EP is the EU's "first institution", being mentioned first in the treaties and having ceremonial precedence over all authority at European level. It has had control over all areas of the EU budget (except for agriculture) since the 1970s and has a veto over the appointment of the European Commission.
More on the European Parliament
The European Parliament has two meeting places:
- Strasbourg (FR), the official seat, where 12 four-day plenary sessions per year are held throughout the year;
- Brussels (BE), which serves for committee meetings, political groups and complementary plenary sessions.
The Secretariat, or Parliament's administrative body, is based in Luxembourg (LU).
The most recent EU-wide elections were held in June 2009.
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