How the European Parliament Works: Role, Powers and Structure

The European Parliament is the directly elected assembly of the European Union. It shares lawmaking power with the Council of the EU, approves the EU budget together with the Council, and scrutinises the European Commission. It cannot, however, start the legislative process on its own in most areas, because formal proposals come from the Commission. This explainer sets out the institution’s powers, its internal structure and the way a text moves through it.

Where the Parliament sits among the EU institutions

The EU has several institutions with distinct jobs. The European Council brings together heads of state or government and sets general political direction. The Council of the EU represents national governments at ministerial level. The Commission proposes laws and enforces them. The Court of Justice interprets EU law. The Parliament is the one body whose members are chosen by voters directly, which is why it is often described as the democratic voice of the Union.

Its seat arrangements are unusual. The treaties fix Strasbourg as the home of the monthly plenary sessions, Brussels hosts committee meetings and some additional plenaries, and Luxembourg houses much of the administrative staff (the General Secretariat). The split is set by treaty protocol, not by Parliament’s own preference, which is why changing it is politically difficult.

What the Parliament can decide

Parliament’s powers fall into three broad groups.

Legislative. Under the ordinary legislative procedure, Parliament and the Council must both agree on the final text of most EU laws. Neither can adopt the law without the other.
Budgetary. Parliament and the Council jointly adopt the annual EU budget, and Parliament also gives the yearly discharge that closes the accounts of how it was spent.
Supervisory. Parliament votes on the Commission President proposed by the European Council, approves the full Commission as a body, questions Commissioners, and can pass a motion of censure that forces the Commission to resign. A censure motion needs a two-thirds majority of votes cast, representing a majority of members.

Parliament also gives or withholds consent for certain international agreements and for the accession of new member states. It has no power to tax and no authority over areas the treaties leave to national governments.

How a law moves through it

In the ordinary legislative procedure, the Commission publishes a proposal. Parliament and the Council each work on it. The text is usually assigned to one committee, which appoints a rapporteur, a member responsible for drafting the committee’s report and steering amendments.

The committee votes, and the result goes to the full chamber for a plenary vote. Parliament and the Council can agree a text at first reading. If their positions differ, they may go to a second reading, and in the last resort to a conciliation committee made up of equal delegations from both sides. In practice, most files are settled earlier, through informal three-way talks between Parliament, Council and Commission known as trilogues.

Committees, groups and plenary

Most detailed work happens in standing committees, each covering a policy area such as the environment, trade, economic affairs or civil liberties. Committees scrutinise proposals, hold hearings and vote on amendments before anything reaches the floor.

Members do not sit by nationality in the chamber. They join transnational political groups that bring together national parties with broadly similar outlooks. A group needs a minimum number of members from a minimum number of countries to be recognised. Groups matter because they receive speaking time, committee seats and administrative support in proportion to their size.

Plenary sessions are where the whole chamber debates and votes. Votes are often taken in a block at a set point in the session. Interpretation is provided into the EU’s official languages, so members can speak in their own.

Size and allocation of seats

The treaties set a ceiling on membership: no more than 750 members plus the President. Seats are shared among countries on a principle called degressive proportionality, which means larger states have more seats than small ones, but each member from a small state represents fewer citizens than a member from a large one. The exact allocation is set by a European Council decision on Parliament’s initiative and has changed with enlargements and treaty reform, so check the Parliament’s own website for the figures in force.

Common misunderstandings

Parliament is sometimes compared to a national parliament. The comparison is only partial. It cannot normally propose a law itself, although it can ask the Commission to do so under Article 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. It does not form a government in the usual sense. And the Commission is not a cabinet answerable to a governing majority; it is a separate institution with its own treaty-based role.

Frequently asked questions

Does the European Parliament make all EU laws?

No. It co-decides most legislation with the Council of the EU, and the Commission proposes. In a few policy areas, special procedures give Parliament only a consultative or consent role.

Where does the European Parliament meet?

Monthly plenary sessions take place in Strasbourg, while committees and additional plenaries meet mainly in Brussels. Luxembourg hosts administrative offices. The arrangement is fixed by a protocol attached to the EU treaties.

Can the Parliament remove the Commission?

Yes, through a motion of censure. It needs a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and a majority of all members. If adopted, the whole Commission must resign.