EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

a branch of the governing body of the European Union (EU). It convenes on a monthly basis in Strasbourg, France; most meetings of the separate parliamentary committees are held in Brussels, Belgium, and its Secretariat is located in Luxembourg. Its expansion over the years has followed that of the EU; by 1995, the parliament had its current 626 members. Since 1979, the members sent by each nation have been directly elected by its citizens for five-year terms. Once elected, members are grouped according to political party or faction rather than nationality. Although attempts were made in the 1980s and 90s to expand its powers, the parliament remains largely a consultative body. In most cases its opinion is not binding; the final vote on legislation proposed by the European Commission, as well as amendments proposed by the parliament, rests with the Council of the European Union. The aspect of EU government over which the parliament has the most direct influence is the EU budget, which it may amend or reject and on which it generally has the final vote. The European Parliament was founded in 1958 as the European Parliamentary Assembly, whose members were chosen by the parliaments of the nations belonging to the three treaty organizations that were later merged to form what is now the EU.

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