The European Parliament

Ben PattersonD-G for Research, Economic and Monetary

Affairs Division

A Brief History• 1952: ECSC nominated

“Common Assembly”• 1958: “European

ParliamentaryAssembly” with Robert Schuman as first President.

• 1962: name “European Parliament” adopted.

• 1979: Direct Elections

Size of the Parliament

0100200300400500600700800

1958

1973

1979

1981

1986

1994

1995

(200

4/7)

Elections• Fixed 5 year terms• “uniform procedure”

(Article 190)• In practice, varying

systems: – national lists– regional lists– STV (Ireland N & S)– “first past the post”

(UK until 1999)

MEPs by country, 2003

Where is it?

Protocol on the location of the seats of the institutions (Treaty of Amsterdam)

• “The European Parliament shall have its seat in Strasbourg where the 12 periods of monthly plenary sessions, including the budget session, shall be held. The periods of additional plenary sessions shall be held in Brussels. The committees of the European Parliament shall meet in Brussels. The General Secretariat of the European Parliament and its departments shall remain in Luxembourg.”

• Estimated annual cost: €169 million (€203m. in 2004).

Languages 1958-1972

Languages 1973-1980

Languages 1981/86-1994

Languages 1995-2003

Languages May 2004+

The Plenary

Organisation• The President (Pat

Cox)• The Bureau: Vice-

Presidents and Quaestors.

• The “Conference of Presidents”.

• 3500 officials (one third linguistic).

Political Groups (1)• EPP- ED Group of the European People's Party and European

Democrats

• PES Group of the Party of European Socialists

• ELDR Group of the European Liberal, Democratic and Reformist Party

• Greens/EFA Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance

• EUL/NGL Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left

• UEN Group of the Union for a Europe of Nations

• EDD Europe of Democracies and Diversities Group

Political Groups (2)

EPP/ED 5 1 53 9 28 20 5 35 2 9 7 9 5 7 37 232

PES 5 2 35 9 24 18 1 16 2 6 7 12 3 6 29 175

ELDR 5 6 3 1 1 8 1 8 5 4 11 53

EUL/NGL 4 7 7 4 15 6 1 2 1 3 50

Green/EFA 7 4 4 9 2 2 1 4 2 2 2 6 45

UEN 1 3 6 10 2 22

EDD 2 9 3 3 17

Non-att. 3 1 12 10 5 1 32

TOTAL 25 16 99 25 64 87 15 87 6 31 21 25 16 22 87 626

Committees

The 17 standing committees• Foreign Affairs, Human Rights,

Common Security and Defence Policy.

• Budgetary Control• Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights,

Justice and Home Affairs• Economic and Monetary Affairs• Legal Affairs and the Internal

Market• Industry, External Trade, Research

and Energy• Environment, Public Health and

Consumer Protection

• Budgets• Agriculture and Rural Development• Fisheries• Regional Policy, Transport and

Tourism• Culture, Youth, Education, the

Media and Sport• Development and Cooperation• Constitutional Affairs• Women’s Rights and Equal

Opportunities• Petitions

Other bodies• ACP Joint Parliamentary

Assembly• Inter-parliamentary

delegations (21)• Joint parliamentary

committees (14: applicant countries and the EEA)

• Committees of inquiry.• Temporary committees

(currently one, on foot and mouth disease).

• Deliberative• Supervisory• Legislative• The “Power of

the Purse”

Deliberative

• What is a “Parliament”?

• Meets in public• Not just MEPs:

Commission and Council.

• Foreign and Security policy, and human rights.

Supervisory Powers• To ask questions• To censure the

Commission• To approve/reject

candidate for Commission President

• To approve/reject incoming Commission as a whole

“Monetary Dialogue” with the ECB

• Quarterly meetings, in public, of Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.

• Preparatory meetings with experts.

• Publication of verbatim reports on INTERNET

Legislation: the evolution of procedures

• Pre-1979: Consultation. Votes only on “resolution”.

• 1979: The “isoglucose” case. Introduction of the “double vote”.

• 1987: Single European Act: Cooperation and Assent.

• 1992: Maastricht: Codecision.

Post-Amsterdam: co-decision

• First reading in Parliament• “Common position” of Council.• Second reading in Parliament: absolute majority

needed (314 votes).• Commission amends proposal.• Council votes on new text.• Conciliation• Third reading in Parliament.

The “power of the purse” (1)

• “Obligatory” and “non-obligatory” expenditure

• Two readings.• The power to reject

the budget as a whole by qualified majority.

The “power of the purse” (2)

• The power to reject the discharge.

Petitions, the Ombudsman and Transparency

• Petitions

• The Ombudsman: Nikiforos DIAMANDOUROS (elected January 2003)

• Access to documents

• Register of MEP’s interests

The future

• Electing President(s).• “Blocked subjects” (e.g. taxation).

• Division of Budget.

• €: an inflation target?

• The role of national/regional parliaments: a “European Congress” ?