Once every 5 years, all EU citizens aged 18 and over are invited to go to the polls for the European elections. But who is elected and why? This video by Le Monde explains everything in a simple and entertaining manner.
Three institutions are responsible for the decision-making process in the European Union, one of them being the European Parliament. Its members (MEPs) represent the citizens of the EU member states and are elected for a five-year term.
The number of MEPs to be elected per country is a direct function of the number of inhabitants of that country. Since Brexit, France has been represented by 79 MEPs and Belgium by 21 MEPs out of a total of 705 seats in the European Parliament. The elected representatives from each member state are grouped by political affinity. There are currently 8 political groups.
Once elected, the MEPs adopt European legislation together with the Council of the European Union, decide on the EU budget and exert control over the EU’s executive branch.
