The European Parliament is the directly elected legislative body and one of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU), representing the interests of EU citizens. Its origins trace back to the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which first met on September 10, 1952, as a consultative body of appointed members. The institution evolved to solve the problem of democratic deficit in the European project, with the first direct elections held in 1979, transforming it into a directly elected parliament.
The Parliament, currently composed of 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected for a five-year term, functions as a co-legislator with the Council of the European Union. Its key mechanism is the ordinary legislative procedure, where it adopts and amends EU laws, though the power to formally initiate new laws rests primarily with the European Commission. The Parliament also shares budgetary authority with the Council and exercises democratic supervision by electing the Commission President and having the power to vote a motion of censure against the entire Commission. The Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on December 1, 2009, significantly strengthened the Parliament's legislative and budgetary powers, making it a fully recognized co-legislator. Recently, the Parliament's internal workings have been updated, with reforms to its Rules of Procedure taking effect from the start of the 2024-2029 parliamentary term on July 16, 2024, to simplify the assignment of legislative proposals to committees. The total number of MEPs was also adjusted from 705 to 720 following the June 2024 European elections.