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1 1 (November 17, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govenme0001 and id is 1 raw text is: h ECongressional Research Service Infrwrming Ih IegIsIative debate sin ce 1914 The European Parliament and U.S. Interests A Key EU Institution The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected institution of the 27-country European Union (EU). The EP's current 705 members represent the EU's roughly 445 million citizens. The EP has accumulated more power over time (most recently with the 2009 Lisbon Treaty) as part of EU efforts to improve democratic accountability and transparency in EU policymaking. Congress-EP ties are long-standing, and the EP's potential to influence key aspects of U.S.-EU relations-such as trade, data privacy, digital policies, and counterterrorism-may be of interest to Congress. The next EP elections are expected in June 2024. Role and Responsiblitdes 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 members and international agreements (including on trade) and may issue nonlegislative resolutions (used, for example, to provide opinions on foreign policy issues). With the Council of Ministers, the EP decides how to allocate the EU's annual budget (fixed as a percentage of the EU's combined gross national income). The EP also has a supervisory role over the European Commission and some limited oversight over the activities of the Council of Ministers. The EP monitors 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 23 MEPs from a minimum of seven EU countries. Currently, the EP has seven political groups-containing Updated November 17, 2023 over 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 in the EP are on the right or far right and hold predominantly nationalist and anti-immigration views. No single group in the EP has an absolute majority, making compromise and coalition-building key features of the EP. Historically, the two largest groups-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 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. Roberta Metsola, a Maltese MEP from the EPP, was elected as EP president in January 2022. 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 that fall within its jurisdiction and recommends to the full EP whether to adopt, amend, or reject the proposed legislation. The EP also may establish temporary committees on specific issues or committees of inquiry on breaches of EU law. The EP plays a role in the EU's international presence with 45 delegations that maintain parliament-to-parliament relations throughout the world (including with the U.S. Congress). Location and Administration The EP's official seat is in Strasbourg, France (a location near Germany symbolic of postwar peace), where plenaries typically are held once per month. Committee meetings and some part-plenary sessions occur in Brussels, Belgium. A Secretariat of about 7,000 nonpartisan civil servants and contract staff, based in both Brussels and Luxembourg, provides administrative and technical support. MEPs and political groups also have their own staff assistants (around 3,000 personnel total). The EP faces some criticism that its multiple locations entail a wasteful duplication of resources and sizeable commuting costs, as well as calls for greater transparency about MEPs' office and travel expenses. The so-called Qatargate corruption scandal involving several

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