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1 1 (October 25, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbnu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ICngressional Research Service ~~Info rmig the legishtive debate since 1914 Updated October 25, 2019 The European Parliament and U.S. Interests A Key EU Institution The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected institution of the 28-country European Union (EU). The EP's 751 members represent the EU's roughly 513 million citizens. The most recent EP elections were in May 2019. The EP has accumulated more power over time as part of EU efforts to improve democratic accountability and transparency in EU policymaking. Enhanced powers since the 2009 Lisbon Treaty have made the EP a more important actor on several issues of U.S. concern, including trade, data privacy, and counterterrorism. Congress-EP ties are long-standing, and Congress may be increasingly interested in EP activities given the EP's potential to influence key aspects of U.S.-EU relations. Role and Responsibilities The EP plays a role in the EU's legislative and budget processes and has a degree of oversight responsibility. The EP works closely with the two other main EU institutions: the European Commission, which represents the interests of the EU as a whole and functions as the EU's executive, and the Council of the European Union (or the Council of Ministers), which represents the interests of the EU's national governments. Although the European Commission has the right of legislative initiative, the EP shares legislative power with the Council of Ministers in most policy areas, giving the EP the right to accept, amend, or reject the vast majority of EU laws (with some exceptions, such as taxation and most aspects of foreign policy). Both the EP and the Council of Ministers must approve a European Commission proposal for it to become EU law in a process known as the ordinary legislative procedure or co-decision. The EP also must approve the accession of new EU member states (or a member state's withdrawal) and has the right to approve or reject international accords, including EU trade agreements. The EP decides how to allocate the EU's budget jointly with the Council of Ministers (although neither the EP nor the Council of Ministers can affect the size of the EU's annual budget, which is fixed as a percentage of the EU's combined gross national income). In addition, the EP has a supervisory role over the European Commission and some limited oversight over the activities of the Council of Ministers. The EP monitors the management of EU policies, can conduct investigations and public hearings, and must approve each new slate of European Commissioners every five years. Structure and Organization Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) serve five- year terms. Voting for the EP takes place on a national basis, with the number of MEPs elected in each EU country based roughly on population size. Political Groups Once elected, MEPs caucus according to political ideology rather than nationality. A political group must contain at least 25 MEPs from a minimum of seven EU countries. Currently, the EP has seven political groups-containing almost 200 national political parties-that span the political spectrum, as well as a number of non-attached or independent MEPs (see Figure 1). Although the majority of MEPs hail from political parties that support the EU project, some belong to parties considered to be anti- establishment and euroskeptic-that is, critical of the EU or anti-EU to varying degrees. Most euroskeptic parties are on the right or far right (and are predominantly nationalist and anti-immigration), but a few are on the left or far left. No single group in the EP has an absolute majority, making compromise and coalition-building key features of the EP's legislative process. Historically, the center-right European People's Party (EPP) and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D) have tended to dominate the EP by cooperating in unofficial grand coalitions. At the same time, voting blocs may vary on specific pieces of legislation. The relative size of the political groups also helps to determine EP leadership and committee posts. EP Leadership, Committees, and Delegations MEPs elect a president of the European Parliament every two-and-a-half years (twice per parliamentary term). The president oversees the work of the EP and represents it externally. David Sassoli, an Italian MEP from the S&D, was elected as EP president in July 2019. The EP has 20 standing committees that are key actors in the adoption of EU legislation. In terms of their importance and power, EP committees rival those in the U.S. Congress and surpass those in most national European legislatures. Each committee considers legislative proposals put forward by the European Commission that fall within its jurisdiction and issues a recommendation to the full EP on whether to adopt, amend, or reject the proposed legislation. The EP also plays a role in the EU's international presence with 44 delegations that maintain parliament-to-parliament relations throughout the world (including with the U.S. Congress). Location and Administration Strasbourg, France, is the official seat of the EP. This location, close to the border with Germany, symbolizes Europe's postwar reconciliation. Plenaries are held in Strasbourg once per month, and committee meetings and some part-plenary sessions occur in Brussels, Belgium. A https:crs reports cong tess go

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