On four days in May, more than 150 million of Europeans will cast their vote to be represented at the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. But what can parliamentarians actually do with that vote? And what are some of the things the parliament has achieved? A short handbook.
By Yannick Lambert
The European Parliament has considerable powers in deciding how the European Union is run. But unlike national parliaments, the parliament cannot initiate legislation. That power is reserved for the European Commission, though parliament can ask it to draft a bill on its behalf.
Because of this lack of direct legislative power, the name “parliament” still rings somewhat aspirational. For much of its history, the group was either called “ Common Assembly” or “European Parliamentary Assembly”. The assembly started referring to itself as “European Parliament” as early as 1962, but the name did not become official for another 25 years, so in 1987.
The first direct elections for parliament were held in 1979. Participation is normally lukewarm, and stood at around 40 percent in 2014. That is in line with mid-term elections in the US – but well below national elections So how does the European Union adopt a law, and at which moments can parliament can influence the process?
The Commission – here assuming the role of the executive– drafts Europe’s laws. Before doing so, it must conduct impact studies and consultations. National parliaments may also give their view. The law is then reviewed, both by the parliament, and the Council of the European Union – which consists of member states, each of which has a veto on the most important matters.
How many seats per country
In general, parliament and the council negotiate to agree on the text proposed by the Commission, a process that is known as the “trilogue”. Both Council and Parliament can block legislation. Once there is an agreement, parliament and council adopt the law through the “ordinary legislative procedure”, formerly known as “codecision”.
In short, parliament can influence and block decisions, but it cannot set legislation in motion. It does, however, have other important powers. First, parliament has to approve the nomination of the president of the European Commission, by simple majority. It also approves – or rejects – all members of a new commission, after the elections take place. But it is the role of the council – the countries – to propose a new president of the commission.
Parliament can also force the resignation of the Commission, if there is a 2/3rd majority to do so. In 1999, Jacques Santer, a Luxembourger, resigned after parliament had made clear it was ready to force out the Commission he presided over. Formally, parliament has never used the power, however.
Finally, parliament is consulted on appointments of members of the Court of Auditors, and the president and executive board of the European Central Bank.
Parliament to downsize after Brexit
Opposition 278
The European Parliament consists of 751 members (MEPs), but this number is expected to come down to 705 with the departure of 73 British parliamentarians and the redistribution of some seats to the other countries. A final decision on how the seats will be redistributed has yet to be taken.
The seats are distributed according to the principle of ‘ degressive proportionality’, meaning that smaller states get more MEPs. Therefore, an MEP of a smaller nation represents fewer people. This is to ensure that smaller nations are also heard, and have a relatively stronger presence.
The parliament has seats in Brussels and Strasbourg, while the secretariat is based in Luxembourg. Plenary sessions are held in Strasbourg, but some also in Brussels. A majority of MEPs would prefer to hold all of them in Brussels, but this is politically unlikely to happen.
What has the parliament achieved?
In power 472
One of parliament’s most prominent achievements of the last five years was putting an end to roaming charges in the EU.
Parliament also played a decisive role in opening up the online payments market, which has led to lower fees for payments, also for people with no credit or debit card.
The EU parliament also banned the practice of geoblocking, or restricting access depending on the consumer’s location or nationality.
Parliament adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which better protects data consumers provide to companies.
MEPs cracked down on wasteful use of plastic carrier bags, banning straws, disposable cutlery and plates, balloon sticks, cotton buds and stirrers.
What is the pay of an MEP?
The president of the parliament is the Italian Antonio Tajani of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP). He replaced Germany’s Martin Schulz of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in 2017, who had decided to run for elections in Germany, a bid in which he was unsuccessful. egorkeon / Shutterstock.com
Much has been written about lavish pay for European Parliamentarians. Here are some of the numbers.
The monthly gross salary of an MEP is € 8.757,70. This salary is subject to an EU tax and insurance contributions. The net salary is € 6.824,85. That is lower than their national counterparts in Germany, France and Italy but higher than in many other parts of the EU. A member of Luxembourg’s lower house earns a gross salary of around € 6.600 per month.
MEPs can also choose their own staff with a budget set by parliament. The maximum budget for this is set at € 24,526 per month. MEPs can choose from two types of assistants.
Accredited assistants, based in Brussels, Strasbourg or Luxembourg, are managed by parliament’s administration and have the same employment condition as temporary EU staff. MEPS usually have three accredited assistants – or exceptionally four.
MEPs can also use up to 75 % of their staff budget to hire assistants based in their home countries.
Furthermore, MEPS can also pay for services, such as an expert study on a topic of their choosing.
MEPs are paid an allowance of € 320 to cover costs every time they are present in Brussels or Strasbourg on official business.
Who gets to vote?
EU citizens of 18 years and older get to vote in European elections. People can either vote in the country where they live, or in their country they are from.
To prevent double voting, the European Council is setting up a law to establish an exchange of information on voters between countries. Countries can distribute seats according to their own national systems.
Luxembourg uses a voting method akin to its national system. Voters can give up to six votes. They can vote for a party list, which consist of six candidates, or distribute their votes to different party lists, a system known as panachage. They can also give two votes to one candidate, though not more.
One difference is that the whole country counts as one electoral district in the European vote, whereas it is divided into four during national elections. EU foreigners can vote in Luxembourg, provided they have registered.