How does the European Parliament actually work?

"Barosso I" is real name of EC working in years 2004-2009 .

Back to the issue how does EP work. The rules of this institution are unique. The EP does not have the classic parliamentary clubs. These groups consisting of MEPs from different countries. The practice of recent years shows that the most important decisions are taken votes of the three largest groups. Currently in the following order: the European People's Party (EPP - Christian Democrats), the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (social democracy, in short the S & D) and the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

It is these three political families among them, the most important positions (chairpersons and Vice-Presidents of Parliament, heads of committees, Quaestors, chairmen and vice-chairmen of foreign delegations, etc.). Posts are allocated by d'Hondt, ie the number of fractions, which especially favors the EPP and S&D.

Just as important (and maybe even more importantly) analogous rules apply to the allocation of tasks, especially when writing reports, on the basis of which the European parliament will vote in the process of EU law.

Here one caveat: reports are uneven! There are reports of great importance for EU citizens (eg regulations on European funds or telecommunications charges) , there are also reports being a formality , having no impact on EU law (eg, a report on the discharge that has no meaning and repeated every year formality).

Such rules have their real consequences .

The activity real and simulated. Once again the European Parliament affect the EU reality through legislation, to modify the shape of the directives and regulations, particularly those relating to economic matters. In this area, the EP has simply the most real power. Changes in the law are made in the course of work of committees, the position of the Parliament is expressed in the reports and then voted on at the plenary.

There are MEPs with tens of discharge reports on their accounts. You can in fact countless times deliver one-minute speech in front of an empty room (yes, in practice it looks) - and will not reach any result.

However, you can enter one additional line to the text, such as telecommunications directive, and then get majority support in Parliament for the correction - and so affect the lives of millions of Europeans. But in order to do this, you must be a member rapporteur on the key issue.

Having divided among themselves the most important positions and jobs, the largest fractions give other factions less important positions (when it comes to real power) - but sometimes prestigious.

An example of such a prestigious area in which real power is limited, it may be foreign policy. The European Parliament is very active in this field, but do not have the power to make binding decisions. This does not affect the reality as much as it can do so in the case of such economic legislation, the internal market. This of course does not mean that the involvement of MEPs in the foreign policy in general is invalid. Especially in the context of recent events in Ukraine can be seen that the activity of the European Parliament in this field has its value, for example, by the fact that a PE can demonstrate European solidarity with Ukraine. It is merely to highlight the fact that in this regard the EP is not a "decision-making".