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Updated April 13, 2020
The European Parliament and U.S. Interests
A Key EU Institution
basis, with the number of MEPs elected in each EU country
The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected
based roughly on population size.
institution of the 27-country European Union (EU). The
EP’s 705 members represent the EU’s roughly 445 million
Political Groups
citizens. The most recent EP elections were in May 2019.
Once elected, MEPs caucus according to political ideology
The EP has accumulated more power over time as part of
rather than nationality. A political group must contain at
EU efforts to improve democratic accountability and
least 25 MEPs from a minimum of seven EU countries.
transparency in EU policymaking. Enhanced powers since
Currently, the EP has seven political groups—containing
the 2009 Lisbon Treaty have made the EP a more important
almost 200 national political parties—that span the political
actor on several issues of U.S. concern, including trade,
spectrum, as well as a number of “non-attached” or
data privacy, and counterterrorism. Congress-EP ties are
independent MEPs (see Figure 1). Although the majority of
long-standing, and Congress may be interested in EP
MEPs hail from political parties that support the EU
activities given the EP’s potential to influence key aspects
project, some belong to parties considered to be anti-
of U.S.-EU relations.
establishment and euroskeptic—that is, critical of the EU or
anti-EU to varying degrees. Most euroskeptic parties are on
Role and Responsibilities
the right or far right (and are predominantly nationalist and
The EP plays a role in the EU’s legislative and budget
anti-immigration), but a few are on the left or far left.
processes and has a degree of oversight responsibility. The
EP works closely with the two other main EU institutions:
No single group in the EP has an absolute majority, making
the European Commission, which represents the interests of
compromise and coalition-building key features of the EP’s
the EU as a whole and functions as the EU’s executive, and
legislative process. Historically, the center-right European
the Council of the European Union (or the Council of
People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left Progressive
Ministers), which represents the interests of the EU’s
Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European
national governments.
Parliament (S&D) have tended to dominate the EP by
cooperating in unofficial “grand coalitions.” At the same
Although the European Commission has the right of
time, voting blocs may vary on specific pieces of
legislative initiative, the EP shares legislative power with
legislation. The relative size of the political groups also
the Council of Ministers in most policy areas, giving the EP
helps to determine EP leadership and committee posts.
the right to accept, amend, or reject the vast majority of EU
laws (with some exceptions, such as taxation and most
EP Leadership, Committees, and Delegations
aspects of foreign policy). Both the EP and the Council of
MEPs elect a president of the European Parliament every
Ministers must approve a European Commission proposal
two-and-a-half years (twice per parliamentary term). The
for it to become EU law in a process known as the ordinary
president oversees the work of the EP and represents it
legislative procedure or co-decision. The EP also must
externally. David Sassoli, an Italian MEP from the S&D,
approve the accession of new EU member states (or a
was elected as EP president in July 2019.
member state’s withdrawal) and has the right to approve or
reject international accords, including EU trade agreements.
The EP has 20 standing committees that are key actors in
the adoption of EU legislation. In terms of their importance
The EP decides how to allocate the EU’s budget jointly
and power, EP committees rival those in the U.S. Congress
with the Council of Ministers (although neither the EP nor
and surpass those in most national European legislatures.
the Council of Ministers can affect the size of the EU’s
Each committee considers legislative proposals put forward
annual budget, which is fixed as a percentage of the EU’s
by the European Commission that fall within its jurisdiction
combined gross national income). In addition, the EP has a
and issues a recommendation to the full EP on whether to
supervisory role over the European Commission and some
adopt, amend, or reject the proposed legislation. The EP
limited oversight over the activities of the Council of
also plays a role in the EU’s international presence with 44
Ministers. The EP monitors the management of EU
delegations that maintain parliament-to-parliament relations
policies, can conduct investigations and public hearings,
throughout the world (including with the U.S. Congress).
and must approve each new slate of European
Commissioners every five years.
Location and Administration
Strasbourg, France, is the official seat of the EP. This
Structure and Organization
location, close to the border with Germany, symbolizes
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) serve five-
Europe’s postwar reconciliation. Plenaries are held in
year terms. Voting for the EP takes place on a national
Strasbourg once per month, and committee meetings and
some part-plenary sessions occur in Brussels, Belgium. A
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The European Parliament and U.S. Interests
Secretariat of roughly 5,000 nonpartisan civil servants,
administrative and technical support. MEPs and political
based in both Brussels and Luxembourg, provides
groups also have their own staff assistants.
Figure 1. European Parliament Political Groups and Seats
Source: Graphic created by CRS, based on data from the European Parliament, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/.
2019 Elections
Direct Democracy (EFDD). The far-left European United
In the May 2019 EP elections, the pro-EU center-right EPP
Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) includes former
and the center-left S&D retained their positions as the two
communist parties and some EU critics.
largest groups in the EP but lost their combined majority, as
euroskeptic, liberal, and green parties gained seats. The
The composition of the political groups has been affected
resulting fragmentation has boosted the influence of the
by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the
centrist, liberal, pro-EU Renew Europe group (formerly the
EU (Brexit) on January 31, 2020. The 73 MEPs elected
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, or ALDE).
from the UK in May 2019 departed the EP, and the overall
The increase in seats for the Greens/European Free Alliance
number of MEPs decreased from 751 to 705, but certain
(Greens/EFA), composed of pro-environment parties and
countries gained additional seats (according to a previously
leftist regional parties (e.g., Catalonian, Corsican), appears
agreed post-Brexit seat redistribution). Because of these
to reflect heightened voter concern about climate change
changes, several political groups lost seats following Brexit
and other environmental issues.
(including the S&D, Renew Europe, and the Greens/EFA);
ID gained three seats to surpass the Greens/EFA as the
Many experts suggest that pro-EU parties were largely
fourth-largest party in the EP.
successful in overcoming challenges from euroskeptic
parties. Pro-EU groups (EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, and
The United States, Congress, and the EP
Greens/EFA) hold a combined 499 seats (71%). Although
Over the last decade, the EP has gained a more prominent
euroskeptic parties secured up to 25% of seats in 2019, this
role in some aspects of U.S.-EU relations, particularly in
is roughly the same percentage as in the previous EP and
light of the EP’s right to approve or reject international
such parties did not do as well as some predicted. Analysts
agreements. In 2010, the EP initially rejected a U.S.-EU
point to higher average voter turnout (51% in 2019 versus
agreement on countering terrorist financing due to EP
43% in 2014) as a key factor in boosting support for pro-
concerns about U.S. data privacy safeguards. The EP also
EU parties. Although concerns persist about the influence
would have to approve a possible future U.S.-EU trade
of euroskeptic parties, such parties often have struggled to
accord. More generally, the EP’s role in EU lawmaking
form a cohesive opposition in the EP; observers question
may affect certain U.S. political or economic interests. For
their ability to work together to block legislation or hinder
example, the EP was central to shaping the EU’s General
EU policymaking, given that they hold a range of different
Data Protection Regulation, which applies to many U.S.
policy views, including on EU reforms.
companies doing business in Europe.
The largest euroskeptic group in the current EP is Identity
Interparliamentary exchanges between Congress and the EP
and Democracy (ID), an alliance of far-right euroskeptic
date back to the 1970s. The Transatlantic Legislators’
parties, including from Italy, France, Germany, the
Dialogue (TLD) has been the formal mechanism for
Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Finland. The ID
engagement between the U.S. House of Representatives and
encompasses most of the former, stridently anti-EU and
the EP since 1999. Two TLD meetings usually take place
nationalist Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF); it also
each year to discuss various political and economic issues.
includes some right-wing parties previously in the
Many MEPs have long argued for further enhancing
European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), which is
cooperation with Congress, and some U.S. analysts suggest
concerned about the loss of national sovereignty in the EU,
that it might be in U.S. interests for Congress to forge
and the now-defunct euroskeptic Europe of Freedom and
stronger ties with the EP to help improve U.S.-EU relations
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The European Parliament and U.S. Interests
and reduce frictions. Others assess that structural and
Kristin Archick, Specialist in European Affairs
procedural differences between Congress and the EP would
likely impede more extensive legislative cooperation.
IF11211
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