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1 1 (March 30, 2006)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabczo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS21998 Updated March 30, 2006 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web The European Parliament Kristin Archick Specialist in European Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary The 732-member, directly-elected European Parliament (EP) is a key institution of the 25-member European Union (EU). Once limited to being a consultative assembly, the EP has accumulated more power over time. Currently, it plays a role in the EU's legislative and budgeting processes, and exercises general supervision over other EU bodies. The EP continues to face several challenges, however, especially in relation to its democratic legitimacy and operational costs. The most recent EP elections were held in June 2004. This report will be updated as events warrant. Also see CRS Report RS21372, The European Union: Questions and Answers, by Kristin Archick. Role of the European Parliament The 732-member, directly-elected European Parliament is a key institution of the European Union. The EU is a treaty-based, institutional framework that defines and manages economic and political cooperation among its 25 member states (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Once limited to being a consultative assembly, the EP has accumulated more power over time. Currently, it plays a role in the EU's legislative and budgeting processes, and exercises general supervision over the work of the two other main EU bodies, the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers) and the European Commission. However, the EP is not a legislative body in the traditional sense. The EP cannot initiate legislation; that right rests solely with the Commission, which functions as the EU's executive and guarantor of the EU treaties. The Council, the EU's main decision-making body comprised of ministers from the national governments, enacts legislation based on Commission proposals, after it consults with the Parliament. Legislative Process. The role of the European Parliament in the legislative process has expanded steadily over time as the scope of EU policy has grown. As more decisions within the Council of Ministers have become subject to qualified majority voting rather than unanimity to allow for greater speed and efficiency of decision-making, the Parliament has come to be viewed as an increasingly important democratic Congressional Research Service . The Library of Congress