Seats in the region will be allocated to parties and independent candidates in proportion to the votes they have gained. Where seats are won by parties, these will be allocated to candidates according to their position on the party list. So where a party gains one third of the votes in a region, approximately the first third of the candidates on its list should be elected as MEPs. The European Parliament is your voice in Europe. It is the only directly elected European institution.
Elections take place every five years.
It has 626 Members, representing the 370 million citizens who live in the 15 Member States of the European Union. It ensures democratic control over the running of the European Union through the exercise of its legislative, budgetary and supervisory powers. MEPs meet in Brussels and Strasbourg to scrutinise, amend and vote draft legislation. They also approve the annual budget of the European Union, question Ministers and European Commissioners, debate issues affecting the European Union and draw attention to the problems of their constituents.