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Updated November 16, 2022
The European Parliament and U.S. Interests
A Key EU Institution
Political Groups
The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected
Once elected, MEPs caucus according to political ideology
institution of the 27-country European Union (EU). The
rather than nationality. A political group must contain at
EP’s 705 members represent the EU’s roughly 445 million
least 23 MEPs from a minimum of seven EU countries.
citizens. The most recent EP elections were in May 2019.
Currently, the EP has seven political groups—containing
The EP has accumulated more power over time as part of
almost 200 national political parties—that span the political
EU efforts to improve democratic accountability and
spectrum, as well as a number of “non-attached” or
transparency in EU policymaking. Since the 2009 Lisbon
independent MEPs (see Figure 1). Although the majority of
Treaty, the EP has become a more important actor on
MEPs hail from political parties that support the EU
several issues of U.S. concern, including trade, data
project, some belong to parties considered to be anti-
privacy, and counterterrorism. Congress-EP ties are long-
establishment and euroskeptic—that is, critical of the EU or
standing, and the EP’s potential to influence key aspects of
anti-EU to varying degrees. Most euroskeptic parties are on
U.S.-EU relations may be of interest to Congress.
the right or far right (and are predominantly nationalist and
anti-immigration), but a few are on the left or far left.
Role and Responsibilities
The EP plays a role in the EU’s legislative and budget
No single group in the EP has an absolute majority, making
processes and has a degree of oversight responsibility. The
compromise and coalition-building key features of the EP.
EP works closely with the two other main EU institutions:
Historically, the two largest parties—the center-right
the European Commission, which represents the interests of
European People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left
the EU as a whole and functions as the EU’s executive, and
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the
the Council of the European Union (or the Council of
European Parliament (S&D)—have tended to dominate the
Ministers), which represents the interests of the EU’s
EP by cooperating in unofficial “grand coalitions.” At the
national governments.
same time, voting blocs may vary on specific pieces of
legislation. The relative size of the political groups also
Although the European Commission has the right of
helps to determine EP leadership and committee posts.
legislative initiative, the EP shares legislative power with
the Council of Ministers in most policy areas, giving the EP
EP Leadership, Committees, and Delegations
the right to accept, amend, or reject the vast majority of EU
MEPs elect a president of the European Parliament every
laws (with some exceptions, such as taxation and most
two-and-a-half years (twice per parliamentary term). The
aspects of foreign policy). Both the EP and the Council of
president oversees the work of the EP and represents it
Ministers must approve a European Commission proposal
externally. Roberta Metsola, a Maltese MEP from the EPP,
for it to become EU law in a process known as the ordinary
was elected as EP president in January 2022. The EP has 20
legislative procedure or co-decision. The EP must approve
standing committees that are key actors in the adoption of
the accession of new EU member states and international
EU legislation. In terms of their importance and power, EP
accords (including EU trade agreements) and may issue
committees rival those in the U.S. Congress and surpass
nonlegislative resolutions (often used, for example, to
those in most national European legislatures. Each
provide opinions on foreign policy issues).
committee considers legislative proposals that fall within its
jurisdiction and recommends to the full EP whether to
With the Council of Ministers, the EP decides how to
adopt, amend, or reject the proposed legislation. The EP
allocate the EU’s annual budget (fixed as a percentage of
also may establish temporary committees on specific issues
the EU’s combined gross national income). The EP also has
or committees of inquiry on breaches of EU law. The EP
a supervisory role over the European Commission and some
plays a role in the EU’s international presence with 44
limited oversight over the activities of the Council of
delegations that maintain parliament-to-parliament relations
Ministers. The EP monitors EU policies, can conduct
throughout the world (including with the U.S. Congress).
investigations and public hearings, and must approve each
new slate of European Commissioners every five years.
Location and Administration
The EP’s official seat is in Strasbourg, France (a location,
Structure and Organization
near Germany, chosen to symbolize postwar reconciliation).
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) serve five-
Plenaries typically are held in Strasbourg once per month.
year terms. Voting for the EP takes place on a national
Committee meetings and some part-plenary sessions occur
basis, with the number of MEPs elected in each EU country
in Brussels, Belgium. A Secretariat of about 7,000
based roughly on population size.
nonpartisan civil servants and contract staff, based in both
Brussels and Luxembourg, provides administrative and
technical support. MEPs and political groups also have their
own staff assistants. The EP faces some criticism that its
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The European Parliament and U.S. Interests
multiple locations entail a wasteful duplication of resources
and sizeable commuting costs, as well as calls for greater
transparency about MEPs’ office and travel expenses.
Figure 1. European Parliament Political Groups and Seats
Source: Graphic created by CRS, based on data from the European Parliament, as of November 2022, at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/.
EP Elections
The United States, Congress, and the EP
In the May 2019 elections, the pro-EU center-right EPP and
With the Lisbon Treaty, the EP gained a more prominent
the center-left S&D retained their positions as the two
role in some aspects of U.S.-EU relations, particularly with
largest groups in the EP but lost their combined majority as
the right to approve or reject international agreements. In
euroskeptic, liberal, and green parties gained seats. The
2010, the EP initially rejected a U.S.-EU accord on
resulting fragmentation enhanced the influence of the
countering terrorist financing due to concerns about U.S.
centrist, liberal, pro-EU Renew Europe group. Voter
data privacy safeguards. The EP also would have to
concerns about climate change translated into an increase in
approve any future U.S.-EU free-trade agreement.
seats for the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA),
composed of pro-environment parties and leftist regional
More generally, the EP’s role in EU lawmaking may affect
parties (e.g., Catalonian, Corsican). Higher than average
certain U.S. political or economic interests. The EP was
voter turnout (51% in 2019 versus 43% in 2014) also
central to shaping the EU’s General Data Protection
helped boost support for these four pro-EU parties, which
Regulation, which applies to many U.S. companies doing
have a combined 494 seats (70%).
business in Europe. The EP approved new EU digital rules
aimed at promoting competition in the digital sector and
Euroskeptic parties secured up to 25% of seats in 2019
improving online platform monitoring, but some U.S.
(roughly the same percentage as in the previous EP), but
stakeholders are concerned that these measures could
hold a range of different policy views—including on EU
unfairly target large U.S. technology firms. Meanwhile,
reforms—and often have struggled to form a cohesive
many MEPs shared U.S. concerns about the EU-China
opposition. The most stridently euroskeptic group in the EP
investment agreement (concluded in 2020) in light of
is Identity and Democracy (ID), an alliance of far-right
China’s human rights and labor practices; the EP froze
parties. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
work on ratifying the agreement in 2021 following China’s
is considered a more moderately euroskeptic group. The
sanctioning of several EU entities and officials, including
Left group includes former communist parties and some
five MEPs. Many in the EP also express strong support for
far-left EU critics. The overall number of MEPs decreased
Ukraine’s territorial integrity, back robust EU sanctions
from 751 to 705 in January 2020 following the United
against Russia (although decisions on sanctions rest with
Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit), but did not
the member states), and support efforts to end the EU’s
significantly alter the balance of power within the EP.
dependence on Russian energy imports.
The next EP elections are due in May 2024. The EP has
Interparliamentary exchanges between Congress and the EP
long supported reforming EP electoral rules to bolster the
date back to the 1970s. The Transatlantic Legislators’
EP’s visibility and the EU’s overall democratic legitimacy.
Dialogue (TLD) has been the formal mechanism for
In May 2022, the EP approved measures to establish 28
engagement between the U.S. House of Representatives and
pan-European MEPs, give voters a greater say in choosing
the EP since 1999. TLD meetings are intended to take place
the European Commission president, and further harmonize
twice a year to discuss various political and economic
electoral rules across the bloc. To take effect, these changes
issues. Many MEPs have long argued for further enhancing
must be approved unanimously by all EU member states,
cooperation with Congress, and some U.S. analysts suggest
many of which have opposed such reforms in the past that
it might be in U.S. interests for Congress to forge closer ties
they feared could decrease their influence within the EU.
with the EP to help strengthen U.S.-EU relations and reduce
frictions. Others assess that structural and procedural
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The European Parliament and U.S. Interests
differences between Congress and the EP likely would
Kristin Archick, Specialist in European Affairs
impede more extensive legislative cooperation. For more
information on the EU and U.S. relations, see CRS Report
IF11211
RS21372, The European Union: Questions and Answers.
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11211 · VERSION 8 · UPDATED