The European Parliament is the institution that, together with the Council of the European Union, holds the legislative power of the European Union (EU) .

This important international body met for the first time in 1952 and through various transformations over the decades has taken on its current form.

It has three offices: one in Brussels (Belgium), one in Strasbourg (France) and one in Luxembourg.

HOW IS IT FORMED?

Since the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, the European Parliament is made up of a maximum of 750 deputies (plus a President) from EU member states.

The total number of MEPs is not fixed, but each country can bring a limited number of representatives to the European Parliament and this number varies according to the population of that country: Italy, for example, will bring 76 elected deputies to Brussels in 2019, while Cyprus, much smaller, only six.

European elections to choose the MEPs who will represent the various states are held every five years.

ARRANGEMENTS AND COMPOSITION

The parliamentary groups that make up the Parliament after the elections are not divided by nationality, but by political alignment. This means that an Italian, a Belgian, a German and a Slovenian with similar ideas will go, although they come from different countries will go to form a common political group.

Then every two and a half years - therefore twice in the course of a single legislature - the European Parliament changes its President, who represents the institution before the other organs of the EU or other States and approves the final budget.

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WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT?

The European Parliament works on committees. They are 20 committees - plus 2 sub-committees - which deal with a particular sector to promote the economic and social growth of the Union and its individuals.  States  members.

After a preparatory phase, these committees present bills which are discussed by the political groups. At the end of these discussions, the legislative proposal is taken to Parliament, where MEPs vote whether to approve it or not.

More specifically, the European Parliament:

• It adopts EU legislation, together with the Council of the EU, on the basis of proposals from the European Commission.

• Decides on international agreements.

• He expressed his opinion on enlargements (ie the entry into the EU of new Member States).

• It reviews the Commission's work program and asks it to submit legislative proposals.

• Supervises all EU institutions

• Elects the President of the Commission, approves the Commission or requests his resignation.

• It approves of the way in which EU budgets have been spent.

• Examine citizens' petitions and initiate investigations

• Discuss monetary policy with the European Central Bank

• He addressed questions to the Commission and the Council

• Check the progress of electoral operations