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�Ϸ�������վ is the legislative branch of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. It is directly elected, and made up of members representing all EU countries.

�Ϸ�������վ decides upon EU legislation, including the multiannual budget, together with the Council of the European Union (EU member state governments). Read more about the European �Ϸ�������վ’s powers.

�Ϸ�������վ holds other EU institutions, like the European Commission, to account. It elects the President of the European Commission and plays a key role in vetting Commissioners-designate through individual hearings.

Organisation of the �Ϸ�������վ

In its tenth legislative term, the European �Ϸ�������վ has 720 members. The number of MEPs elected from each EU country is agreed before each election and is based on the principle of degressive proportionality, which means each MEP from a larger country represents more people than an MEP from a smaller country.

MEPs are organised by political affinity, not nationality, and join political groups that have representatives from many different countries Check here the number of MEPs by country.

The President of the �Ϸ�������վ is elected from among its members for a renewable term of two and a half years. The President represents the European �Ϸ�������վ ������-à-������ the outside world and in its relations with the other EU institutions. MEPs re-elected Roberta Metsola as President in July 2024, until January 2027.

The President oversees the work of the �Ϸ�������վ and its constituent bodies as well as the debates in plenary and ensures that �Ϸ�������վ’s Rules of Procedure are adhered to. At the beginning of every European Council meeting, the President of the European �Ϸ�������վ sets out �Ϸ�������վ’s point of view and its concerns as regards the items on the agenda and other subjects.

After the European Union’s budget has been adopted by �Ϸ�������վ, the President signs it, rendering it operational. The EP President and the President of the Council both sign all legislative acts adopted under ordinary legislative procedure.

�Ϸ�������վ’s committees

Committees amend legislative proposals through the adoption of reports, propose amendments to plenary and appoint a negotiation team to conduct negotiations with the Council on EU legislation. They also adopt own-initiative reports, organise hearings with experts and scrutinise the other EU bodies and institutions.

In the 10th term, Members are divided up among 22 specialised standing committees and two subcommittees, that have between 25 and 90 full members, and the same number of substitutes. Find here the list of current standing committees and sub-committees. In December 2024, �Ϸ�������վ established two new special committees: one on the so-called “Democracy Shield” initiative, and another to deal with the EU’s housing crisis.

Each committee has a chair and up to four vice-chairs, elected from among its full members during a first, constitutive committee meeting. These form the ‘committee bureau’, for a two-and-a-half-year mandate. The political make-up of the committees reflects that of the full �Ϸ�������վ.

The committee chairs coordinate committee work in the Conference of Committee Chairs (CCC).

Political groups

A political group must consist of at least 23 MEPs elected in at least one-quarter of the member states (i.e. at least seven countries), as established in rule 33 of the EP’s Rules of Procedure. By forming a group, MEPs accept by definition that they have political affinity - a political declaration, setting out the purpose of the group is included in the statement sent to the President. A political group can be established at any time during the legislature.

Political groups can hire staff and are provided with administrative facilities, funded by �Ϸ�������վ's budget. �Ϸ�������վ’s Bureau sets the rules for how these funds and facilities are managed and audited. The funds available to the groups are intended not only to cover the administrative and operational cost of a group's staff but also the cost of political and information activities in connection with the European Union's political priorities.

The budget may not be used to finance any form of European, national, regional or local electoral campaign or to finance political parties at national and European level or their dependent bodies.

Not all MEPs sit in a group. Those who do not are called “non-attached" members. They also are entitled to staff and have rights under the rules set out by the Bureau.

There are currently eight political groups in the European �Ϸ�������վ:

• Patriots for Europe Group
• Europe of Sovereign Nations Group

Each political group elects its own chair or co-chairs.

The political group chairs and the EP president constitute the EP Conference of Presidents.

The organises �Ϸ�������վ’s business and legislative planning, decides the responsibilities and membership of committees and delegations and is responsible for relations with other EU institutions, the national parliaments and non-EU countries.

The political groups elect “coordinators” for the parliamentary committees. They are each group’s political leader in the committee. They coordinate their group’s viewpoint on the topics before the committee, and together with the chair and the vice-chairs, they organise the work in the committee.