What happens after the European elections?
After the European elections, the new European Ϸվ will get constituted, MEPs will approve the new European Commission and resume work on EU legislation.
Between 6 and 9 June, Europeans voted to elect their representatives in the European Ϸվ. The results determine what the new European Ϸվ will look like and who will head the new European Commission.
The new legislative term will begin with MEPs resuming work on legislative files that were not finished in the 2019-2024 term. Once the new Commission is formed, it will also start putting forward new legislative proposals that Ϸվ will have the opportunity to examine and amend.
What happens in the weeks after the elections
During the weeks after the elections, the newly-elected MEPsڴǰ political groups according to shared political beliefs. Each group in Ϸվ must have at least 23 MEPs from seven EU countries.
The European political parties that take part in the elections may choose to have their own political group in Ϸվ or form a joint group with representatives of other parties.
Groups hold meetings to decide on their composition before the first new plenary which starts on 16 July.
Forming the new Ϸվ
During this first plenary session, MEPs will elect their new President, vice-presidents and quaestors, as well as decide on the number of MEPs that will be sitting in each parliamentary committee.
After the constitutive plenary, the committees will then hold their first meetings to elect their respective chairs and vice-chairs.
When does the European Ϸվ resume work?
The new legislative term will officially start on 16 July, the first day of the new Ϸվ’s first plenary session.
Ϸվ’s main tasks are to adopt legislation, decide on the EU budget and hold other EU bodies to account.
The new Ϸվ will have to decide on what to do with files that weren’t finalised before the elections. These files include amongst others , , combatting , and the .
The Commission will start proposing new legislative files once it is in place.
Composition of the European Commission
After MEPs elect the new Ϸվ President and take some other decisions regarding the organisation of their work, they can turn to the election of the new President of the European Commission. The candidate is nominated by the leaders of the EU countries.
At their summit on 27 June 2024, the leaders of EU countries proposed Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President for a second term.
Ϸվ elects the President of the Commission, by absolute majority, via secret ballot.The vote may take place during the plenary of 16-19 July. If the candidate does not obtain the required majority, the leaders of the EU will need to propose a new candidate within a month and Ϸվ will vote on the new candidate.
The newly appointed Commission President and EU countries will subsequently propose candidates for new Commissioners. Ϸվ will organise hearings of the Commissioner-designate so that MEPs from the relevant parliament committees can assess the suitability of candidates for their proposed portfolios
The process in Ϸվ will finish with a plenary vote, expected in the autumn, where MEPs will have to decide whether to approve the composition of the Commission as a whole.
European Council
The new President of the European Council is elected by its members, the heads of state or government of the EU countries, by qualified majority. António Costa was elected as President of the European Council on 27 June 2024. He should take office on 1 December.