European Parliament

The Parliament is an elected assembly with 732 members each elected for 5 years. Originally the Treaty of Rome 1957 gave the Parliament, whose members were then nominated by the governments of the Member States, only a consultative role which enabled the Commission to propose and the Council of Ministers to decide legislation.

Subsequent Treaties have made the Parliament a directly-elected assembly and extended its powers, responsibilities and influence. The Parliament can now amend and adopt legislation, so Parliament and Council share the power of decision in many areas. The Parliament is constantly extending its influence and developing its powers on the basis that it is a directly-elected body.

The seats for each Member State are as follows:

Country	Population	No. of MEPs
Austria	8.1m	18
Belgium	10.3m	24
Cyprus	800,000	6
Czech Republic	10.2m	24
Denmark	5.3m	14
Estonia	1.3m	6
Finland	5.2m	14
France	60.1m	78
Germany	82.4m	99
Greece	11m	24
Hungary	9.9m	24
Irish Republic	4m	13
Italy	57.4m	78
Latvia	2.3m	9
Lithuania	3.4m	13
Luxembourg	500,000	6
Malta	400,000	4
Netherlands	16.1m	27
Poland	38.5m	54
Portugal	10.1m	24
Slovakia	5.4m	14
Slovenia	2m	7
Spain	41m	54
Sweden	8.9m	19
United Kingdom	59.2m	78

For further information, visit the European Parliament Web site.