European Parliament
The European Parliament is the only directly elected institution of the European Union. Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council) and the European Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU. The Parliament is composed of 751 members, and is thus the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world.
Although the European Parliament has legislative power that the Council and Commission do not possess, it does not formally possess legislative initiative, as most national parliaments of European Union member states do. The Parliament is the “first institution” of the EU (mentioned first in the treaties, having ceremonial precedence over all authority at European level), and shares equal legislative and budgetary powers with the Council.
At Brussels Model European Union, participants in the European Parliament will endorse the role of a MEP. They will be assigned to a parliamentary group similar in relative size to the real groups in the European Parliament. Together with peer students they will debate topics and exchange amended versions of the Commission’s proposals with the Council.
Although the European Parliament has legislative power that the Council and Commission do not possess, it does not formally possess legislative initiative, as most national parliaments of European Union member states do. The Parliament is the “first institution” of the EU (mentioned first in the treaties, having ceremonial precedence over all authority at European level), and shares equal legislative and budgetary powers with the Council.
At Brussels Model European Union, participants in the European Parliament will endorse the role of a MEP. They will be assigned to a parliamentary group similar in relative size to the real groups in the European Parliament. Together with peer students they will debate topics and exchange amended versions of the Commission’s proposals with the Council.
At Brussels Model European Union 2015, the topics proposed to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union are the following:
1. “Digitalization and the EU economy: the implementation of the ‘Connected Continent’ plan”
2. “Reaching the policy framework for 2030 on energy and climate: tackling climate change through GMOs”