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Farewell to Michael Jackson, king of pop
mysteries and doubts about the causes of death
The family and the former manager shot dead by doctors criminals and charlatans. Police searching for the medical staff
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Insights
■ A megalomaniac genius became legend / Simona Orlando
■ Watch the video for "Thriller"
■ Talent of Living Dangerously / Marco Molendinar
■ Lisa Presley on his blog: One day I said "I am afraid of ending up like your father"
■ Send dramatic phone call in which relief was sought
■ Las Vegas, formerly of Michael Jackson memorabilia auction
■ The last concert 12 years ago, then the darkness and the demolition
■ E 'dead with $ 400 million in debt. And now the refund of tickets is a nightmare tour
■ The pain of the stars and politics. Obama: 'Artist spectacular "
■ Jacko, from America to China, memories, tributes and pain
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■ The death of Michael Jackson
ROME (June 26) - are growing doubts about the death Michael Jackson, which occurred Thursday night in Los Angeles probably a heart attack. Fans around the world in mourning while the death of the king of pop, 50, former child prodigy able to sell 750 million records. A talent that has marked an epochal revolution in the music world and has made Jackson one of the most famous star on the planet, as many have pointed out today in a city, Los Angeles, already shaken by the death of Farrah Fawcett.
Performed the autopsy. Between 4-6 weeks the response. Today was performed the autopsy, which lasted approximately three hours, the body of Michael Jackson. The spokesman for the coroner of the county of Los Angeles, Craig Harvey, said that to establish the causes of death will take between 4 to 6 weeks. Excluding that death was caused by an external trauma or a fall, Harvey said that it will take further examinations, and pulmonary toxicity, to determine how Jackson died. The spokesman also confirmed that Jackson died in the Emergency Room at UCLA hospital, the emergency room.
The mystery about the causes of death. But doubts about the causes of death have triggered the reaction of fans on the web. Many American media report today that Jackson had injected an overdose of a synthetic drug called "Demerol, a narcotic that would have effects similar to morphine. Investigators have announced want to hear the personal physician the singer, to see if he was to prescribe or make that last injection, and to determine if the prescription could lead to something unlawful. According to reports from family members, the injection was made at 11.30. The emergency call at 12:21.
Hunt Jackson's personal physician. Police in Los Angeles is in search of Michael Jackson's personal physician, believed could help investigators solve the mystery of the death of the singer. The Los Angeles police spokeswoman, Karen Rayner, said today that BMW of the doctor was removed from the garden of the artist's home, where it was parked, and delivered to investigators. "In the car could there medicines - said Rayner - or other clues that could help the medical examiner to determine the causes of death. " The website TMZ.com reported today the news that the doctor would have resided in their home of the singer and he would have injected the morphine which would have caused death. The Rayner, however, said she was not able to confirm the report and has denied knowing the man's identity. The police spokesman further stated that the doctor is under investigation, but investigators simply want his cooperation in investigations.
lawyer Brian Oxman, Jackson family spokesman, told CBS that he was worried about drugs that the singer had taken due of injuries sustained during rehearsals for the concerts. "I warned everyone that I have been able to warn them and I felt that one day Michael Jackson would not have woken up," Oxman said, referring to prescription drugs to the singer. The law states, however, does not want to "point the finger at anyone," and wanted to wait for the autopsy.
Tarak Ben Ammar, a former manager and friend of Michael Jackson claims that the "charlatans" and "criminals" were "the doctors who treated him during his career, which destroyed his face, giving him medicine to alleviate their sufferings. " Ben Ammar accusations in recent years to doctors who have treated the king of pop taking "advantage his hypochondria. " Ben Ammar said they never saw Jackson do drugs, and claims that the singer died of cardiac arrest "because it took all sorts of medicine."
Grief, exploded on the internet, involving celebrities and ordinary people on Hollywood Boulevard, where many have made the pilgrimage, even if the star of an eponymous, since that of Michael was covered by red carpet ready for the premiere of Bruno, author of the new movie Borat. A Westwood, where occurred the last attempt to save his life, from morning there was a pilgrimage of people of every color, age, social background. People are visibly upset, excited, even though the tears mixed with smiles and movements to the music of American singer and has always led leads.
Before the question of a hoax, then the news of the hospital in serious condition, then the official confirmation by the journey of the body, wrapped in white, by helicopter to the morgue. The drama began shortly after noon with a call from Jackson's house in the suburb of Holmby Hills, the emergency services.
"He's a man of 50 years. Do not breathe anymore. " This message came to the emergency services
from home in Jackson at 12:21 local (Los Angeles). The first rescue team to arrive in the rented house in Bel Air by the singer was onboard a red fire truck. Paramedics tried to revive Jackson, who showed no sign of life, while carrying the UCLA Medical Center. At the hospital, while the singer was transported on a stretcher inside the building frantically doctor, someone who accompanied Jackson began to scream, "You have to save, you have to save him, witnesses reported. The
Jackson's personal physician has attempted to provide relief to the singer, at his home, even before the arrival of the ambulance, revealed the singer's brother, Jermaine. The attempts of the medical Jackson had then joined the paramedics of the ambulance call by telephone. "The ambulance arrived at UCLA Medical Center at 13:14 - Jermaine said - For over an hour the doctors at the hospital tried to revive Michael. But they did not succeed. " "Our family asked the media to respect our privacy during this difficult time - said the brother of the singer - Our love is with you, Michael, forever."
The police investigation. All afternoon, determined the death of the singer, the focus has shifted on the causes and conditions and the arrival of a special team of homicide and robbery section of the Los Angeles Police Department - which has opened an investigation - has revealed the disparate voices. Standard procedure that special agents fermatisi at least three hours the house of the singer and seized three cars, but maintaining the confidentiality of the investigation.
died while trying to raise. To contribute to the mystery about the death of Jackson that he arrived at a time of revival for the Thriller singer, who in recent years has kept a low profile until the night before and was trying on her new show and last: This makes suspect the possibility of an attack of natural causes.
The singer was preparing for months because he had scheduled a tour of fifty concerts that were shown at the center of the music scene, from London. Just in the British capital in a public appearance in five minutes which was not years, apart from his attendance in court was told his fans: "I love you enormously, from the bottom of my heart."
Crowd Apollo Theatre in Harlem. A crowd of Jackson fans gathered last night in front of 'Apollo theater in the heart of African-American neighborhood of Harlem in New York, dancing to honor the memory of the artist died. The King of Pop when he debuted here as a child singing with his brothers gathered in the Jackson Five. " "In Memory of Michael Jackson, a true legend of Apollo," read the sign of the theater tonight, where are all the past stars of the Afro-American music. And while the streets were distributed notes of his songs famous, fans noticed they started to dance. Many wore T-shirts dedicated to the king of pop, especially with images of Thriller.
Global Mourning Michael Jackson has had immediate effects on the web, shorting Google and Twitter to the number of contacts just after the release of the news of the death of the singer.
A Google spokesman confirmed to the BBC that in front of millions of users who typed almost simultaneously as the King of Pop has thought of a cyber attack.
The singer was pronounced dead in Los Angeles at 14:26 and those who tried to ask about Jackson between 14:40 and 15:15 (Californian time) received in response to this sentence: "The request looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or a spy software. " Jack died on Twitter has taken over by keeping quiet even the Iranian crisis.
The gossip site TMZ, which first announced the death of Jackson, quickly went into a tailspin for too many requests for access. The Wikipedia entry for Michael Jackson, facing the initial confusion of news, has been disassembled and rewritten more than once.
also hit by the wave of Facebook messages to Jackson's death: the popular social network for connections and exploded in a few hours, many users have subscribed to a page dedicated to Jack. It's called "Rip Michael Jackson (we miss you) "and in a few hours has collected more than 160,000 entries, will undoubtedly rise also because it is an invitation to all to spread the page as possible" to make Facebook the largest that has ever seen. "
The official site of Michael Jackson
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COMMENTS (20 of 134) Sort page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 of 7 DISCUSSION CLOSED
communications: redazioneweb @ bbc .
HELLO MICHAEL it ... Hello Michael
because you have a single original ..
You have shown with what people call weird, to be free and you can change that!
Even the news of the RAI, for example, speak evil of you announcing your departure, may be more shocked than anything else laundresses comments ... And
'their way not to feel inferior, ridicule or destroy anything that might not know or do not come to do! Maybe you were Italian! but maybe you could not emerge here, I would have stopped! The lack of freedom in the name of morality does this as well! Were you pure inside and that's what matters most! And people around the world, above all else, I appreciate your music, your pace of freedom! Your message of freedom! Hello Michael!
comments posted on 06/27/2009 09:41 by Aster
once sang "Do not Stop 'Till You Get Enough"
But you got enough too early, Michael, we still need you!
Rest in peace, great idol of my youth ', now you're away from all the people who have wronged you, to all those who have only taken advantage of your money, lawyers, doctors and managers, especially the mothers of those children that you did you have fun in "Neverland" that you were accused of pedophilia. You have suffered so much as a child, and 'easy to conclude that you would never hurt any of them. I have always aggregate to all those who believed in your innocence. Your special relationship with children and 'always been misunderstood by all. Maybe now the truth 'will' out, talk about a grown-day guests of the "house of the toys in Neverland." You all have left billions in debt, depressed and all the other problems you had. None of them has ever cared for. And now you wanted to do 50 concerts when you were not able to do it. So much for them ... murderers.
know from over 'soon the cause of heart and I hope the culprit is punished. I pray that God
Take care of yourself now and give you peace tranquility 'and serenity' that you never had on earth.
Farewell King of the Pop, Michael goodbye, thanks for the wonderful songs and the emotions you gave me, I will always exist.
'll be the king of music for a few more centuries!
Rest in peace.
comment posted by Daniela at 07:35 06/27/2009
x 1 vittorio
are a genius in another field but still genius. Hahahahhahaha. Food was a man like others will have 'given his emotions through aesthetic manicale without reaching a thickness of content and messages of their own genius. This is not 'I do not respect Jakson but I have for him or anyone else for the cult of personality, or even Piula' idolatry.
comment posted 06/27/2009 at 06:37 by piero from canada
legendary? Mythical?
But please ..... someone ridiculous-looking, mediocre voice, movements by mechanical puppet, one that is not known if and 'man or woman, black or white - one which, having made billions, left a debt of over $ 400 million and I'm not listing all the scandals in court, an egomaniac filled with drugs ..... and this "being" a man of value would have risen, the legendary and mythical? - I, at most, I could call him a showman, but nothing more '- I also admit that many liked, but not to the point of writing all these messages I think are ridiculous-wrenching and fanatics! -
comment posted 06/27/2009 at 05:36 by Themistocles
I have no words!
I have no words .... really ... I'm 28 years old and I grew up listening to his music and following as far as possible his life ... was the man who won in piu'denaro beneficieza to help children piu'sfortunati piu'sfortunato .... when was he, who never had the chance to go eating ice cream with a simple perche'proprio friend who has given birth, his father, took advantage of making it work since he was 5 years! for his children were his friends, those who did not had when it was the right time ... for a second try to put yourself in his shoes, the wickedness of the people has no limits ... michael has paid with his death the evil ..... has lived all his life in a cage gold, but it was always a cage ... now you're free .... bye michael, you were great ... and will forever be the only one. tvb
Comment posted by 06/27/2009 at 01:32 kim
thanks Michael.
thanks because you have been with us through
because you were one of us
thanks because you loved us all thanks
why do not you ever forgotten
thanks to the legend that lived in you and now you
kidnapped only to live forever with you.
comment posted 06/27/2009 at 01:24 by Daniel
your voice in the heart
nobody ever dimentcherà anything about you and for those not yet born will be difficult to explain who you were? difficult because there will always be so much pain in our words that perhaps will make us difficult to understand but will be your gift to speak inemitabile for us, in your glorious career, I never got to see you live but one day we will meet on the biggest stage of the world where millions of us will be there to bee because one day we shall meet again.
now rests top of the sky and sing for us. Hello Michael.
comment posted 06/27/2009 at 01:14 by Daniela
x Piero from Canada
Michael Jackson could like it or not, but you can put politics in everything. You impareggiabie ...
comment posted 06/27/2009 at 00:59 by vittorio1
am very sad ... 
you been and always will be great! just read the news yesterday I cried. I hope you are happy now where you trovi.Grande Michael that I was 17 when I bought proud of "bad" and after I said I want all of you. You accompanied me in my life so far.
comment posted 06/27/2009 at 00:03 by carmine
Hello Michael
Now you can sing in heaven.
We've left your discs.
Thanks for all the excitement you gave us.
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 23:56 by Sandro
Hello Michael Hello Michael, and thank you for letting me tutto.Grazie sognare.Grazie, ballare.Grazie making me, making me innamorare.Grazie , compagnia.Grazie of keeping me, making me sorridere.Grazie for me ....... Thanks again and grazie.Michael Jackson "Man in the Mirror". PS Unless you're a
grande.Solo who Michael has lived capire.E can please everyone not to write bad things (too easy) but remember only one "Great of Pop."
Thanks.
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 23:54 by Enriko
The ambitions of the parents are sometimes the cause of misery for their children. Michael has had four years to learn to dance and sing like his father demanded, aged 5 years and has worked together with the other brothers to him.
around in the nights every night, if wrong was beaten, without hesitation.
He has been subtracted, for money, childhood. He was the cleverest of the brothers and he wanted more. A father to the present owner who would be put in jail for abuse and exploitation of children.
He made an artist, true, but he was born with the talent, sooner or later would have been equally successful, and I think it would be by far, been better then.
do not think he wanted to "become white" if anything, get rid of anything resembling his father. His genius was too: from the soul music of his years of childhood and adolescence to switch to something different, completely new, entirely his own, liberated, independent from the influence of his father at last.
He chased all his life in childhood, has tried to "child is denied" to rebuild a back ground of infancy perfect and full of love, but not having lived nemeno did not know how it was.
A void that has never been able to fill even trying to switch to another role: that of his father, also here for the same reason: he did not know how it was a good father.
that his children are very loved, he will remember his music, his talent
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 23:36 by * sil *
E 'father died a
not the 'I never liked, nor as a musician, nor as a man. You can not deny its origins and its aspects. Maximum respect for the father who leaves his children, a human thought and respectful. God have mercy on his soul
comment posted 06/26/2009 at 23:16 by tonymoss
Immortal
Most men of valor, go into legend after death. You were already a legend, the death has made you IMMORTAL.
Rip
I hope you'll sing to the Lord. We continue to be satisfied to hear the songs that you left.
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 23:04 by VIKING
I just wanted to tell you ...
I just wanted to say goodbye in my sincere lines from one of your greatest fans, myth hello, hello, michael, that the music be with you even up there where your star will shine bright, no one like you.
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 23:02 by michele
but please some comments to make them go somewhere else .... Michael
THANKS for all the emotions you gave me ... you and you will be forever in my heart ... and now rests in peace ...
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 22:33 by Isabella
Farewell
star has 'off the star in' brilliant. It 'difficult to accept but you know' they are the best to leave first. Goodbye Michael ...
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 22:28 by Natalie
are always better than that if you go
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 21:58 by feribotte
...
one can not be born black and white .... something does not die. Great respect for music legend but has self-destructed. He had the world in mano.Ciao Michael.
comment posted 26/06/2009 at 21:49 by alessandra
COMMENTS (20 of 134) Sort page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 of 7 discussion closed
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The European Parliament (Europarl or EP) is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council), it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world.[1] The Parliament and Council form the highest legislative body within the Union. However their powers as such are limited to the competencies conferred upon the European Community by member states. Hence the institution has little control over policy areas held by the states and within the other two of the three pillars of the European Union. The Parliament is composed of 785 MEPs (Member of the European Parliament), who serve the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world (375 million eligible voters in 2009).[2][3]
It has been directly elected every five years by universal suffrage since 1979. Although the European Parliament has legislative power that such bodies as those above do not possess, it does not have legislative initiative, as most national EU parliaments do[4] However, it does have de facto capacity for legislative initiative (see Powers and functions below).[5] While it is the "first institution" of the European Union (mentioned first in the treaties, having ceremonial precedence over all authority at European level),[6] the Council has greater powers over legislation than the Parliament where codecision procedure (equal rights of amendment and rejection) does not apply. It has, however, had control over the EU budget (minus agriculture) since the 1970s and has a veto over the appointment of the European Commission.[4]
The European Parliament has two meeting places, namely the Louise Weiss building in Strasbourg, France, which serves for twelve four-day plenary sessions per year and is the official seat, and the Espace Léopold (Dutch: Leopoldruimte) complex in Brussels, Belgium, the larger of the two, which serves for committee meetings, political groups and complementary plenary sessions. The cost of having all MEPs and their staff moving several times a year from one place to another is of concern to some. The Secretariat of the European Parliament, the Parliament's administrative body, is based in Luxembourg.[7][8]
The President of the European Parliament (its speaker) is currently Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP), elected in January 2007. He presides over a multi-party chamber, the two largest groups being the European People's Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) and the Party of European Socialists (PES). The last Union-wide elections were the 2009 Parliamentary Elections.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Consultative assembly
1.2 Elected Parliament
1.3 Recent history
2 Powers and functions
2.1 Legislative procedure
2.2 Budget
2.3 Control of the executive
2.4 Supervisory powers
3 Members
3.1 Political groups
3.2 Grand coalition
3.3 Elections
4 Proceedings
4.1 President and organisation
4.2 Committees and delegations
4.3 Translation and interpreting
5 Seat
6 Future of the Parliament
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
[edit] History
Further information: History of the European Union
The Parliament, like the other institutions, was not designed in its current form when it first met on 10 September 1952. One of the oldest common institutions, it began as the "Common Assembly" of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). It was a consultative assembly of 78 parliamentarians drawn from the national parliaments of member states (see dual mandate), having no legislative powers.[9][10] This change since its foundation was highlighted by Professor David Farrell of the University of Manchester;[1]
“ For much of its life, the European Parliament could have been justly labelled a 'multi-lingual talking shop'. But this is no longer the case: the EP is now one of the most powerful legislatures in the world both in terms of its legislative and executive oversight powers. ”
Its development since its foundation is testament to the evolution of the Union's structures without one clear "master plan". Some such as Tom Reid of the Washington Post said of the Union, "nobody would have deliberately designed a government as complex and as redundant as the EU".[11] Even the Parliament's two seats, which have switched several times, is a result of various agreements or lack of agreements.[9]
[edit] Consultative assembly
The body was not mentioned in the original Schuman Declaration, it was assumed or hoped that difficulties with the British would be resolved to allow the Council of Europe's Assembly to perform the task. A separate Assembly was introduced during negotiations on the Treaty as an institution which would counterbalance and monitor the executive while providing democratic legitimacy.[9] The wording of the ECSC Treaty demonstrated the leaders desire for more than a normal consultative assembly by using the term "representatives of the people" and allowed for direct election. Its early importance was highlighted when the Assembly was given the task of drawing up the draft treaty to establish a European Political Community. In this the "Ad Hoc" Assembly was established on 13 September 1952[12] with extra members but after the failure of the proposed European Defence Community the project was dropped.[13]
The first meeting room of the Common Assembly in StrasbourgDespite this the European Economic Community and Euratom were established in 1958 by the Treaties of Rome. The Common Assembly was shared by all three communities (which had separate executives) and it renamed itself the "European Parliamentary Assembly". The three communities merged in 1967 and the body was renamed to the current "European Parliament" in 1962.[9] In 1970 the Parliament was granted power over areas of the Community's budget, which were expanded to the whole budget in 1975.[14] Under the Rome Treaties, the Parliament should have become elected. However the Council was required to agree a uniform voting system before hand, which it failed to do. The Parliament threatened to take the Council to the European Court of Justice leading to a compromise whereby the Council would agree to elections, but the issue of voting systems would be put off till a later date.[15]
The emblem of Parliament until 1983
[edit] Elected Parliament
In 1979, its members were directly elected for the first time. This set it apart from similar institutions such as those of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or Pan-African Parliament which are appointed.[9][16][17] After that first election, the parliament held its first session on 11 July 1979, electing Simone Veil MEP as its President. Veil was also the first female President of the Parliament since it was formed as the Common Assembly.[18]
As an elected body, the Parliament began to draft proposals addressing the functioning of the Union. For example in 1984, inspired by its previous work on the Political Community, it drafted the "draft Treaty establishing the European Union" (also known as the 'Spinelli Plan' after its rapporteur Altiero Spinelli MEP). Although it was not adopted, many ideas were later implemented by other treaties.[19] Furthermore the Parliament began holding votes on proposed Commission Presidents from the 1980s, before it was given any formal right to veto.[20]
Strasbourg hemicycle until 1999Since the election the membership of the European Parliament has simply expanded whenever new nations have joined (the membership was also adjusted upwards in 1994 after German reunification). Following this the Treaty of Nice imposed a cap on the number of members to be elected, 732.[9]
Like the other institutions, the Parliament's seat was not yet fixed. The provisional arrangements placed Parliament in Strasbourg, while the Commission and Council had their seats in Brussels. In 1985 the Parliament, wishing to be closer to these institutions, built a second chamber in Brussels and moved some of its work there despite protests from some states. A final agreement was eventually reached by the European Council in 1992. It stated the Parliament would retain its formal seat in Strasbourg, where twelve sessions a year would be held, but with all other parliamentary activity in Brussels. This two seat arrangement was contested by Parliament but was later enshrined in the Treaty of Amsterdam. To this day the institution's locations are a source of contention.[21]
[edit] Recent history
In 2004, Parliament forced President Barroso to change his proposed Commission team.The Parliament had been gaining more powers from successive treaties, namely through the extension of codecision procedure,[22] and in 1999, the Parliament forced the resignation of the Santer Commission.[23] The Parliament had refused to approve the Community budget over allegations of fraud and mis-management in the Commission. The two main parties took on a government-opposition dynamic for the first time during the crisis which ended in the Commission resigning en masse, the first of any forced resignation, in the face of an impending censure from the Parliament.[24]
In 2004, following the largest trans-national election in history, despite the European Council choosing a President from the largest political group (the EPP), the Parliament again exerted pressure on the Commission. During the Parliament's hearings of the proposed Commissioners MEPs raised doubts about some nominees with the Civil liberties committee rejecting Rocco Buttiglione from the post of Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security over his views on homosexuality. That was the first time the Parliament had ever voted against an incoming Commissioner and despite Barroso's insistence upon Buttiglione the Parliament forced Buttiglione to be withdrawn. A number of other Commissioners also had to be withdrawn or reassigned before Parliament allowed the Barroso Commission to take office.[25][26]
In addition to the extension of codecision, the Parliament's democratic mandate has given it greater control over legislation against the other institutions. In voting on the Bolkestein directive in 2006, the Parliament voted by a large majority for over 400 amendments that changed the fundamental principle of the law. The Financial Times described it in the following terms:[27]
“ The European parliament has suddenly come into its own. It marks another shift in power between the three central EU institutions. Last week's vote suggests that the directly elected MEPs, in spite of their multitude of ideological, national and historical allegiances, have started to coalesce as a serious and effective EU institution, just as enlargement has greatly complicated negotiations inside both the Council and Commission. ”
In 2007, for the first time, Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini included Parliament in talks on the second Schengen Information System even though MEPs only needed to be consulted on parts of the package. After that experiment, Frattini indicated he would like to include Parliament in all justice and criminal matters, informally pre-empting the new powers they could gain as part of the Treaty of Lisbon.[28]
[edit] Powers and functions
The Parliament's hemicycle (debating chamber) in StrasbourgThe Parliament and Council are essentially two chambers in the bicameral legislative branch of the European Union, with legislative power being officially distributed equally between both chambers. However there are some differences from national legislatures; for example, neither the Parliament nor the Council have the power of legislative initiative (except for the fact that the Council has the power in some intergovernmental matters). In Community matters, this is a power uniquely reserved for the European Commission (the executive). Meaning that while Parliament can amend and reject legislation, to make a proposal for legislation, it needs the Commission to draft a bill before anything can become law.[29] However, the value of such a power is questioned, noting that only 15% of such initiatives in national parliaments become law due to the lack of executive support.[30] Yet it has been argued by President Hans-Gert Pöttering that as the Parliament does have the right to ask the Commission to draft such legislation, and as the Commission is following Parliament's proposals more and more Parliament does have a de facto right of legislative initiative.[5]
The Parliament also has a great deal of indirect influence, through non-binding resolutions and committee hearings, as a "pan-European soapbox" with the ear of thousands of Brussels-based journalists. There is also an indirect effect on foreign policy; the Parliament must approve all development grants, including those overseas. For example, the support for post-war Iraq reconstruction, or incentives for the cessation of Iranian nuclear development, must be supported by the Parliament. Parliamentary support was also required for the transatlantic passenger data-sharing deal with the United States.[31]
[edit] Legislative procedure
With each new treaty, the powers of the Parliament have expanded. Its powers have been primarily defined through the Union's legislative procedures. The method which has slowly become the dominant procedure (about three-quarters of policy areas) is the Codecision procedure, where powers are essentially equal between Parliament and Council.[4] Codecision provides an equal footing between the two bodies. Under the procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the Council. They then send amendments to the Council which can either adopt the text with those amendments or send back a "common position". That proposal may either be approved or further amendments may be tabled by the Parliament. If the Council does not approve these, then a "Conciliation Committee" is formed. The Committee is composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs who seek to agree a common position. Once a position is agreed, it has to be approved by Parliament, again by an absolute majority.[4][32] This is also aided by Parliament's mandate as the only directly democratic institution, which has given it leeway to have greater control over legislation than other institutions, for example over its changes to the Bolkestein directive in 2006.[27]
Other procedures include: Cooperation, meaning the Council can overrule the Parliament if it is unanimous; Consultation, which require just consultation of the Parliament; and Assent procedure, where the Parliament has a veto. The Commission and Council, or just Commission, can also act completely independently of the Parliament, but the use of these procedures are very limited. The procedure also depends upon which type of institutional act is being used.[4] The strongest act is a regulation, an act or law which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are directives which bind members to certain goals which they must achieve. They do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A decision is an instrument which is focused at a particular person/group and is directly applicable. Institutions may also issue recommendations and opinions which are merely non-binding, declarations.[33] There is a further document which does not follow normal procedures, this is a "written declaration" which is similar to an early day motion used in the Westminster system. It is a document proposed by up to five MEPs on a matter within the EU's activities used to launch a debate on that subject. Having been posted outside the entrance to the hemicycle, members can sign the declaration and if a majority do so it is forwarded to the President and announced to the plenary before being forwarded to the other institutions and formally noted in the minutes.[34]
[edit] Budget
The legislative branch officially holds the Union's budgetary authority, powers gained through the Budgetary Treaties of the 1970s. The EU's budget is divided into compulsory and non-compulsory spending. Compulsory spending is that resulting from EU treaties (including agriculture) and international agreements; the rest is non-compulsory. While the Council has the last word on compulsory spending, the Parliament has the last word on non-compulsory spending.[35][36]
The institutions draw up budget estimates and the Commission consolidates them into a draft budget. Both the Council and the Parliament can amend the budget with the Parliament adopting or rejecting the budget at its second reading. The signature of the Parliament's president is required before the budget becomes law.[35][36]
The Parliament is also responsible for discharging the implementation of previous budgets, on the basis of the annual report of the European Court of Auditors. It has refused to approve the budget only twice, in 1984 and in 1998. On the latter occasion it led to the resignation of the Santer Commission.[15][37]
[edit] Control of the executive
Unlike most EU states, which usually operate parliamentary systems, there is a separation of powers between the executive and legislative which makes the European Parliament more akin to the United States Congress than an EU state legislature.[30] The President of the European Commission is proposed by the Council (in practice by the European Council) and that proposal has to be approved by the Parliament (by a simple majority), essentially giving the Parliament a veto, but not a right to propose, the head of the executive. Following the approval of the Commission President, the members of the Commission are proposed by the President in accord with the member-states. Each Commissioner comes before a relevant parliamentary committee hearing covering the proposed portfolio. They are then, as a body, approved or rejected by the Parliament.[38][20] In practice, the Parliament has never voted against a President or his Commission, but it did seem likely when the Barroso Commission was put forward. The resulting pressure forced the proposal to be withdrawn and changed to be more acceptable to parliament.[25] That pressure was seen as an important sign by some of the evolving nature of the Parliament and its ability to make the Commission accountable, rather than being a rubber stamp for candidates. Furthermore, in voting on the Commission, MEPs also voted along party lines, rather than national lines, despite frequent pressure from national governments on their MEPs. This cohesion and willingness to use the Parliament's power ensured greater attention from national leaders, other institutions and the public—who previously gave the lowest ever turnout for the Parliament's elections.[39]
The Parliament also has the power to censure the Commission if they have a two-thirds majority which will force the resignation of the entire Commission from office. As with approval, this power has never been used but it was threatened to the Santer Commission, who subsequently resigned of their own accord. There are a few other controls, such as: the requirement of Commission to submit reports to the Parliament and answer questions from MEPs; the requirement of the President-in-office of the European Council to present their programme at the start of their presidency; the right of MEPs to make proposals for legislation and policy to the Commission and Council; and the right to question members of those institutions (e.g. "Commission Question Time" every Tuesday).[20][38] At present, MEPs may ask a question on any topic whatsoever, but in July 2008 MEPs voted to limit questions to those within the EU's mandate and ban offensive or personal questions.[40]
[edit] Supervisory powers
The Parliament also has other powers of general supervision, mainly granted by the Maastricht Treaty.[41] The Parliament has the power to set up a Committee of Inquiry, for example over mad cow disease or CIA detention flights—the former led to the creation of the European veterinary agency. The Parliament can call other institutions to answer questions and if necessary to take them to court if they break EU law or treaties.[42] Furthermore it has powers over the appointment of the members of the Court of Auditors[43] and the president and executive board of the European Central Bank. The ECB president is also obliged to present an annual report to the parliament.[42]
The European Ombudsman is elected by the Parliament, who deals with public complaints against all institutions.[42] Petitions can also be brought forward by any EU citizen on a matter within the EU's sphere of activities. The Committee on Petitions hears cases, some 1500 each year, sometimes presented by the citizen themselves at the Parliament. While the Parliament attempts to resolve the issue as a mediator they do resort to legal proceedings if it is necessary to resolve the citizens dispute.[44]
[edit] Members
Main article: Member of the European Parliament
National apportionment of MEP seats Germany
99
France
78
Italy
78
United Kingdom
78
Spain
54
Poland
54
Romania
35
Netherlands
27
Belgium
24
Czech Republic
24
Greece
24
Hungary
24
Portugal
24
Sweden
19
Austria
18
Bulgaria
18
Finland
14
Denmark
14
Slovakia
14
Ireland
13
Lithuania
13
Latvia
9
Slovenia
7
Cyprus
6
Estonia
6
Luxembourg
6
Malta
5
The parliamentarians are known in English as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). They are elected every 5 years by universal adult suffrage and sit according to political allegiance; about a third are women. Prior to 1979 they were appointed by their national parliaments.[45][46]
As states are allocated seats according to population, the total number of MEPs should be 732; however, since 1 January 2007 there are 785 MEPs. This is due to the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, as the allocation of seats does not take into account members that join mid-term. Under the existing rules the number of members would be reduced to 736 following the 2009 election[45][47] however the rules are due to be changed under the Treaty of Lisbon. Instead, there would be 751 members (however, as the President cannot vote while in the chair there would only be 750 voting members at any one time).[48] In addition, the maximum number of seats allocated to a state would be lowered to ninety-six, from the current ninety-nine, and the minimum number of seats would be raised to six, from the current five. These seats are distributed according to "degressive proportionality", meaning that the larger the state, the more citizens that are represented per MEP. It is intended that the new system, including revising the seating well in advance of elections, can avoid political horse trading when the numbers have to be revised.[49]
At present, members receive the same salary as members of their national parliament. However as of 2009 a new members statute will come into force which gives all members an equal monthly pay of 7,000 euro each, subject to a community tax and can also be taxed nationally. MEPs would retire at 63 and receive the whole of their pension from the Parliament. Travelling expenses would also be given based on actual cost rather than a flat rate as is the case now.[50] In addition to their pay, members are granted a number of privileges and immunities. To ensure their free movement to and from the Parliament, they are accorded by their own states the facilities accorded to senior officials travelling abroad and by other state governments the facilities of visiting foreign representatives. When in their own state they have all the immunities accorded to national parliamentarians, and in other states they have immunity from detention and legal proceedings. However immunity cannot be claimed when a member is found committing a criminal offence and the Parliament also has the right to strip a member of their immunity.[51]
[edit] Political groups
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Main article: Political groups of the European Parliament
Group Leader(s) MEPs
EPP-ED Joseph Daul 288
PES Martin Schulz 217
ALDE Graham Watson 100
ECRG TBA (group is emerging) 55
UEN Brian Crowley
Cristiana Muscardini 44
G-EFA Monica Frassoni
Daniel Cohn-Bendit 43
GUE-NGL Francis Wurtz 41
ID Nigel Farage
Hanne Dahl 22
Non-Inscrits MEPs without group 30 Source: European Parliament
MEPs in Parliament are organised into seven different parliamentary groups, including over thirty non-attached members known as non-inscrits. The two largest groups are the European People's Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) and the Party of European Socialists (PES). These two groups have dominated the Parliament for much of its life, continuously holding between 50 and 70 percent of the seats together. No single group has ever held a majority in Parliament.[30] As a result of being broad alliances of national parties, European groups parties are very decentralised and hence have more in common with parties in the United States than EU states.[30]
Groups are often based around a single European political party such as the socialist group. However they can, like the liberal group, include more than one European party as well as national parties and independents.[52] For a group to be recognised, it needs 20 MEPs from six different countries (this will rise to 25 MEPs from seven different countries from June 2009).[53] Once recognised groups receive financial subsidies from the parliament and guaranteed seats on Committees, creating an incentive for the formation of groups. However some controversy occurred with the establishment of the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty (ITS) due to its ideology; the members of the group are far-right, so there were concerns about public funds going towards such a group.[54] There were attempts to change the rules to block the formation of ITS, however that never came to fruition. They were, however, blocked from gaining leading positions on committees—a right that is meant to be afforded to all parties.[55] When this group engaged in infighting, causing the withdrawal of some members, its size fell below the recognisable limit causing its collapse.[56]
[edit] Grand coalition
Given that the Parliament does not form the government in the traditional sense of a Parliamentary system, its politics have developed along more consensual lines rather than majority rule of competing parties and coalitions. Indeed for much of its life it has been dominated by a grand coalition of the People's Party and Socialist Party. The two major parties tend to co-operate to find a compromise between their two groups leading to proposals endorsed by huge majorities.[57] However there have been some occasions where real party politics have emerged, for example over the resignation of the Santer Commission;[24]
When the initial allegations against the Commission emerged, they were directed primarily against Édith Cresson and Manuel Marín, both socialist members. When the parliament was considering refusing to discharge the Community budget, President Jacques Santer stated that a no vote would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence. PES supported the Commission and saw the issue as an attempt by the EPP to discredit their party ahead of the 1999 elections. PES leader, Pauline Green MEP, attempted a vote of confidence and the EPP put forward counter motions. During this period the two parties took on similar roles to a government-opposition dynamic, with PES supporting the executive and EPP renouncing its previous coalition support and voting it down.[24] Politicisation such as this has been increasing, in 2007 Simon Hix of the London School of Economics noted that;[1]
“ Our work also shows that politics in the European Parliament is becoming increasingly based around party and ideology. Voting is increasingly split along left-right lines, and the cohesion of the party groups has risen dramatically, particularly in the fourth and fifth parliaments. So there are likely to be policy implications here too. ”
During the fifth term, 1999 to 2004, there was a break in the grand coalition resulting in a centre-right coalition between the Liberal and People's parties.[58] This was reflected in the Presidency of the Parliament with the terms being shared between the EPP and the ELDR, rather than the EPP and PES.[59] In the following term the liberal group grew to hold 88 seats, the largest number of seats held by any third party in Parliament.[60]
[edit] Elections
Main article: Elections in the European Union
Election results by political group, 1979 to 2004. Left to right;
Far Left
Socialist Group
Regionalists (inc. Greens)
Greens
CDI or TGI
Non-Inscrits
Liberal Democrats Radical Alliance (Liberals)
CD / EPP
Forza Europa
Conservatives
Eurosceptics
National Conservatives
Far Right
Elections have taken place, directly in every member-state, every five years since 1979. As of 2009 there have been seven. Occasionally, when a nation joins mid-term, a by-election will be held to elect their representatives. This has happened four times, most recently when Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007 (see below). Elections take place across several days according to local custom and, aside from having to be proportional, the electoral system is chosen by the member-state. This includes allocation of sub-national constituencies; while most members have a national list, some, like the UK and France, divide their allocation between regions. Seats are allocated to member-states according to their population, with no state having more than 99, but no fewer than 5, in order to maintain proportionality.[61]
The most recent Union-wide elections to the European Parliament were the European elections of 2004, held in June of that year. They were the largest simultaneous transnational elections ever held anywhere in the world, since nearly 400 million citizens were eligible to vote. The proportion of MEPs elected in 2004 who were female was 30.2%; in 1979 it was just 16.5%. The next Union-wide elections will be in 2009. There are a number of proposals to "dress up" the next elections to attract greater public attention to them. These include most notably the idea of linking them more closely to the Commission presidency. This would be by having political parties running with candidates for the job, so the largest party would essentially be forming the government, as in the parliamentary system of government.[62][63][64] This was attempted in 2004, however only the European Green Party, which was the first true pan-European party to be established with a common campaign,[65] proposed a candidate for the post of President: Daniel Cohn-Bendit.[66] Meanwhile, the closest any other party had come was when the People's Party mentioned four or five people they'd like to be President.[67] It is hoped such changes would add legitimacy and counter the falling turnout[64] which has dropped consistently every year since the first election, and from 1999 it has been below 50%.[68] In 2007 both Bulgaria and Romania elected their MEPs in by-elections, having joined at the beginning of 2007. The Bulgarian and Romanian elections saw two of the lowest turnouts for European elections, just 28.6%[69] and 28.3% respectively.[70]
[edit] Proceedings
The hemicycle in BrusselsEach year the activities of the Parliament cycle between committee weeks where reports are discussed in committees and interparliamentary delegations meet, political group weeks for members to discuss work within their political groups and session weeks where members spend 3½ days in Strasbourg for part-sessions. In addition six 2-day part-sessions are organised in Brussels throughout the year. Four weeks are allocated as constituency week to allow members to do exclusively constituency work. Finally there are no meetings planned during the summer weeks.[71] The Parliament has the power to meet without being convened by another authority. Its meetings are partly controlled by the treaties but are otherwise up to Parliament according to its own "Rules of Procedure" (the regulations governing the parliament).[72]
During sessions, members may speak after being called on by the President, with a time limit of one minute. Members of the Council or Commission may also attend and speak in debates.[73][74] Partly due to the need for translation, and the politics of consensus in the chamber, debates tend to be calmer and more polite than, say, the Westminster system.[75] Voting is conducted primarily by a show of hands, that may be checked on request by electronic voting.[76] Votes of MEPs are not recorded in either case however, that only occurs when there is a roll-call ballot. That is when each MEP in turn is called by name, in alphabetical order, to state their support or opposition: it is only used for certain important votes or when a political group of approximately one fifth of all MEPs requests it, but the number of roll-call votes has increased with time. Votes can also be a completely secret ballot (for example when the President is elected).[77][78] All recorded votes, along with minutes and legislation, are recorded in the Official Journal of the European Union and can be accessed online.[79]
Members are arranged in a hemicycle according to their political groups who are ordered mainly by left to right, but some smaller groups are placed towards the outer ring of the Parliament. All desks are equipped with microphones, headphones for translation and electronic voting equipment. The leaders of the groups sit on the front benches at the centre, and in the very centre is a podium for guest speakers. The remaining half of the circular chamber is primarily composed of the raised area where the President and staff sit. Further benches are provided between the sides of this area and the MEPs, these are taken up by the Council on the far left and the Commission on the far right. Both the Brussels and Strasbourg hemicycle roughly follow this layout with only minor differences.[80] With access to the chamber limited, entrance is controlled by ushers who aid MEPs in the chamber (for example in delivering documents). The ushers also act as a form of police in enforcing the President, for example in ejecting an MEP who is disrupting the session (although this is rare). The first head of protocol in the Parliament was French, so many of the duties in the Parliament are based on the French model first developed following the French Revolution. The 180 ushers are highly visible in the Parliament, dressed in black tails and wearing a silver chain, and are recruited in the same manner as the European civil service. The President is allocated a personal usher.[81]
[edit] President and organisation
Main article: President of the European Parliament
President Hans-Gert PötteringThe President, currently Hans-Gert Pöttering MEP of the EPP, is essentially the speaker of the Parliament. He or she presides over the plenary when it is in session and the President's signature is required for all acts adopted by co-decision, including the EU budget. The President is also responsible for representing the Parliament externally, including in legal matters, and for the application of the rules of procedure. He or she is elected for two-and-a-half-year terms, meaning two elections per parliamentary term.[82][83]
In most countries, the protocol of the head of state comes before all others, however in the EU the Parliament is listed as the first institution, and hence the protocol of its President comes before any other European, or national, protocol. The gifts given to numerous visiting dignitaries depends upon the President. President Josep Borrell MEP of Spain gave his counterparts a crystal cup created by an artist from Barcelona which had engraved upon it parts of the Charter of Fundamental Rights among other things.[6]
A number of notable figures have been President of the Parliament and its predecessors. The first President was Paul-Henri Spaak MEP, one of the founding fathers of the Union. Other founding fathers include Alcide de Gasperi MEP and Robert Schuman MEP. The two female Presidents were Simone Veil MEP in 1979 (first President of the elected Parliament) and Nicole Fontaine MEP in 1999, both Frenchwomen.[84]
During the election of a President, the plenary is presided over by the oldest member of the Parliament. In 2004 and 2007 this was Giovanni Berlinguer MEP. While the oldest member is in the chair, they hold all the powers of the President, but the only business that may be addressed is the election of the President.[85]
Below the President, there are 14 Vice-Presidents who chair debates when the President is not in the chamber. There are a number of other bodies and posts responsible for the running of parliament besides these speakers. The two main bodies are the Bureau, which is responsible for budgetary and administration issues, and the Conference of Presidents which is a governing body composed of the presidents of each of the parliament's political groups. Looking after the financial and administrative interests of members are six Quaestors.
[edit] Committees and delegations
Main article: Committees of the European Parliament
Parliament building in Brussels, where the committees meetThe Parliament has 20 Standing Committees consisting of 28 to 86 MEPs each (reflecting the political makeup of the whole Parliament) including a chair, a bureau and secretariat. They meet twice a month in public to draw up, amend to adopt legislative proposals and reports to be presented to the plenary.[86] The rapporteurs for a committee are supposed to present the view of the committee, although notably this has not always been the case. In the events leading to the resignation of the Santer Commission, the rapporteur went against the Budgetary Control Committee's narrow vote to discharge the budget, and urged the Parliament to reject it.[24]
Committees can also set up sub-committees (e.g. the Subcommittee on Human Rights) and temporary committees to deal with a specific topic (e.g. on extraordinary rendition). The chairs of the Committees co-ordinate their work through the "Conference of Committee Chairmen".[86] When co-decision was introduced it increased the Parliaments powers in a number of areas, but most notably those covered by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Previously this committee was considered by MEPs as a "Cinderella committee", however as it gained a new importance, it became more professional and rigorous attracting more and more attention to its work.[15]
A Committee room in the ParliamentThe nature of the committees differ from their national counterparts as, although smaller in comparison to those of the United States Congress, the European Parliament's committees are unusually large by European standards with between eight and twelve dedicated members of staff and three to four support staff. Considerable administration, archives and research resources are also at the disposal of the whole Parliament when needed.[30]
Delegations of the Parliament are formed in a similar manner and are responsible for relations with Parliaments outside the EU. There are 34 delegations made up of around 15 MEPs, chairpersons of the delegations also cooperate in a conference like the committee chairs do. They include "Interparliamentary delegations" (maintain relations with Parliament outside the EU), "joint parliamentary committees" (maintaining relations with parliaments of states which are candidates or associates of the EU), the delegation to the ACP EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.[86] MEPs also participate in other international activities such as the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue and through election observation in third countries.[87]
[edit] Translation and interpreting
Interpreting booths in the hemicycle simultaneously translate debates between 23 languagesSpeakers in the European Parliament are entitled to speak in any of the EU's 23 official languages, ranging from English and French to Maltese and Swedish. Simultaneous interpreting is offered in all plenary sessions, and all final texts of legislation are translated. With twenty-three languages, the European Parliament is the most multilingual parliament in the world[88] and the biggest employer of interpreters in the world (employing 350 full time and 400 free-lancers when there is higher demand).[89] Citizens may also address the Parliament in Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician.[90]
Usually a language is translated from a foreign tongue into a translator's native tongue. Due to the large number of languages, some being minor ones, since 1995 translation is sometimes done the opposite way, out of a translator's native tongue (the "retour" system). In addition, a speech in a minor language may be translated via a third language for lack of interpreters ("relay" interpreting) —for example, when translating Estonian into Maltese.[89] Interpreters need to be proficient in two other Union languages besides their native language. Due to the complexity of the issues, translation is not word for word. Instead, interpreters have to convey the political meaning of a speech, regardless of their own views. This requires detailed understanding of the politics and terms of the Parliament, involving a great deal of preparation beforehand (e.g. reading the documents in question). Difficulty can often arise when MEPs use colourful language, jokes and word play or speak too fast.[89]
While some see speaking their native language as an important part of their identity, and can speak more fluently in debates, the translation and the cost of it has been criticised by some. A 2006 report by Alexander Stubb MEP highlighted that by only using English, French and German costs could be reduced from €118,000 per day (for 21 languages then—Romanian and Bulgarian having not yet been included) to €8,900 per day.[91] Although many see the ideal single language as being English due to its widespread usage, there is a campaign to make French the single tongue for all legal texts, due to the view that it is more clear and precise for legal purposes. Although this would not directly affect translation in the plenary, it would shift the balance towards French when discussing draft legislation.[92]
[edit] Seat
Further information: Location of European Union institutions, Espace Léopold, and Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
The cost of two seats has been a cause of controversy (the Strasbourg building)The Parliament is based in three different cities with numerous buildings. A protocol attached to the Treaty of Amsterdam requires that 12 plenary sessions be held in Strasbourg (none in August but two in September), which is the Parliament's official seat, while extra part sessions as well as committee meetings are held in Brussels. Luxembourg hosts the Secretariat of the European Parliament.[7] The European Parliament is the only assembly in the world with more than one meeting place and also one of the few that cannot decide its own location.[93]
The Strasbourg seat is seen as a symbol of reconciliation between France and Germany, the Strasbourg region having been fought over by the two countries in the past. However it is questioned over the cost of having two seats for the parliament. While Strasbourg is the official seat, and sits alongside the Council of Europe (with which the "mutual cooperation" is being continuously "fostered"),[94] Brussels is home to nearly all other major EU institutions, with the majority of Parliament's work already being carried out there. Therefore despite Strasbourg being the main seat, it is the one most questioned, although some do believe Strasbourg should be the single capital.[95]
Critics have described the two-seat arrangement as a "travelling circus",[96] and there is a strong movement to establish Brussels as the sole seat. This is due to the fact that the other political institutions (the Commission, Council and European Council) are located there, and hence Brussels is treated as the 'capital' of the EU. This movement has received strong backing through numerous figures, including the Commission First-Vice President who stated that "something that was once a very positive symbol of the EU reuniting France and Germany has now become a negative symbol—of wasting money, bureaucracy and the insanity of the Brussels institutions".[8] The Green party has also noted the environmental cost in a study led by Jean Lambert MEP and Caroline Lucas MEP; in addition to the extra 200 million euro spent on the extra seat, there are over 20,268 tonnes of additional carbon dioxide, undermining any environmental stance of the institution and the Union.[96] The campaign is further backed by a million-strong online petition started by Cecilia Malmström MEP.[97] In 2006 there were allegations of irregularity in the charges made by the city of Strasbourg on buildings the Parliament rented which harmed the city's image further.[98] A poll of MEPs also found 89% of the respondents (39%) wanting a single seat, and 81% preferring Brussels.[99] Another, more academic, survey found 68% support.[1] However, as Parliament's seat is fixed by the treaties, it can only be changed by the Council unanimously, meaning it could be vetoed by a single country:[93] notably, France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that its seat is "non-negotiable", having no intention of surrendering the French based seat.[100]
[edit] Future of the Parliament
Further information: Special working group on parliamentary reform and Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon, currently in stalled ratification, largely retains the reforms outlined in the rejected Constitutional Treaty.[101] Overall, powers would be increased. For example, nearly all policy areas would fall under co-decision procedure (now called the "ordinary legislative procedure") meaning that the Parliament would have practically equal powers to those of the Council (now officially the Council of Ministers). In the remaining minority of areas in which the powers remain unequal, the Council must consult the Parliament and/or seek its approval on the legislation. The Parliament also gains greater powers over the entirety of the EU budget, not just non-compulsory expenditure, through the ordinary legislative procedure. In terms of the composition of the Parliament there would be little change, however the minimum number of seats would be increased from 5 to 6 and the maximum number would be reduced from 99 to 96. There would also be basic rules on the distribution of seats in the Parliament, rather than them being negotiated at each enlargement. Decisions about the composition of the Parliament are currently made by the Council, this would remain so but the decision would be made based on a proposal from the Parliament itself.[102][103]
The European Council would be bound to take into account the latest elections when proposing the Commission President, something that they willingly did after the 2004 election. As currently, the Parliament's consent is needed for the President to take office, however the Treaty of Lisbon now uses the word "elect" rather than "approve" to refer to this procedure. This is an area however in which the Council of Ministers plays no part.[102][103] It will remain to be seen whether calling it an election will spur political groups to use their power and mandate to propose their own candidate rather than accept that of the European Council, similar to the situation in constitutional monarchies where the head of state has the power to choose the head of government but is de facto limited into accepting the candidate of the victorious party in parliament. There have been suggestions that the parliament's political groups may propose their own candidates before the 2009 election.[63][104] No major party proposed a candidate in 2004 with the fractious nature of the European-level parties being, in part, why a single candidate has not been proposed. However there are plans to strengthen the political parties before the elections[64][67] and the European Green Party, the first to have a common campaign, did manage to put forward a candidate.[66] In 2007, Franco Frattini indicated he would like to act as though the treaty was already in force, in respects to the Parliament's powers over justice and criminal matters, in order to inject more democracy and ensure the Parliament had over sight on forthcoming legislation Frattini did not wish to delay until 2009.[28]
In addition to the institutional reforms brought by the Treaty of Lisbon, in 2007 the President set up the Special working group on parliamentary reform to improve the efficiency and image of the Parliament. Some ideas include livening up the plenary sessions and a State of the Union debate.[105] One of the group's key reform ideas, extra debates on topical issues, was rejected by MEPs[106] causing liberal leader Graham Watson MEP to withdraw from the reform group.[107] However MEPs did back a proposal for greater use of the European symbols, following their rejection in the Treaty of Lisbon. It was suggested the Parliament take the avant-garde in using the symbols as it had done in adopting the flag in 1983, which was three years before the Communities as a whole.[108][109] An interim report was presented in September 2007 and proposed cutting down time allocated for guest speakers and non-legislative documents. In 2006, 92 "own initiative" reports (commenting rather than legislating) were tables and 22% of debating time was spent debating such reports, while only 18% was spent on legislative bills. The group is due to produce a final report in July 2008, and put the recommendations into practice by the 2009 elections[105] however Watson has stated that he doubts the left-right coalition in Parliament can pass the proposals due to opposition from more conservative members. Other members such as the co-chair of ID, Jens-Peter Bonde MEP, had wanted more radical proposals. Bonde did however vote for the report, stating that "it is psychologically important to show that we want to become a more political parliament."[107]
[edit] See also
[hide]v • d • e Topics on the European Parliament
Organisation Bureau · Committees and Delegations · Conference · MEPs · President (Hans-Gert Pöttering) ·
Quaestor · Rapporteur · Secretariat · Vice Presidents
Politics COSAC (National parliaments) · Groups · Parties · Reform working group
Elections 1979 · 1984 · 1989 · 1994 · 1999 · 2004 (session / members) · 2009 · Apportionment · Constituencies
Locations Strasbourg (Buildings) · Brussels (Buildings) · Luxembourg buildings
History Assizes · Budget controversy · Buttiglione controversy · European Convention · Joint parliamentary meeting
Other Europa InSitu · EuroparlTV · Lux Prize · Model European Communities Project · Sakharov Prize
European Union Portal · Brussels Portal
[edit] References
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^ Banks, Martin (2007-05-24). "Sarkozy slated over Strasbourg seat". EU Politix: The Parliament. http://www.eupolitix.com/EN/News/200705/8216d9d5-0c44-46e2-a6d8-6166c30e812f.htm. Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
^ European Council (2007-06-22). "Brussels European Council 21/22 June 2007: Presidency Conclusions" (PDF). Council of the European Union. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/94932.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
^ a b "The Union's institutions: The European Parliament". Europa (web portal). http://europa.eu/scadplus/constitution/parliament_en.htm. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
^ a b "Draft treaty modifying the treaty on the European Union and the treaty establishing the European community" (PDF). Open Europe. 2007-07-24. http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/translation.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
^ "Leadership of the EU". Federal Union. http://www.federalunion.org.uk/europe/democracyleadership.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
^ a b "Improving the public perception and efficiency of the work of the European Parliament — mandate for a working group on reform of the Parliament". European Parliament. 2007-02-15. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&type=IM-PRESS&reference=20070215IPR03201. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
^ Kubosova, Lucia (2007-07-12). "MEPs turn down modernising reform". EU Observer. http://euobserver.com/9/24472. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
^ a b Kubosova, Lucia (2007-09-20). "MEPs want to see fewer heads of state in plenary". EU Observer. http://euobserver.com/9/24801. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
^ Beunderman, Mark (2007-07-11). "MEPs defy member states on EU symbols". EU Observer. http://euobserver.com/9/24464. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
^ "The European Flag". Council of Europe. http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/flag.asp. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
[edit] Further reading
Attwool, Elspeth (2000). To the Power of Ten: UK Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament (Centre for Reform Papers). Centre for Reform. ISBN 978-1902622170.
Butler, David; Martin Westlake (2005). British Politics and European Election. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1403935854.
Farrell, David; Roger Scully (2007). Representing Europe's Citizens?: Electoral Institutions and the Failure of Parliamentary Representation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199285020.
Gazzola, Michele (2006). "Managing Multilingualism in the European Union: Language Policy Evaluation for the European Parliament". Language Policy (Netherlands: Springer) 5 (4): 393–417. doi:10.1007/s10993-006-9032-5. http://www.springerlink.com/content/47253614164m4371/.
Hix, Simon; Abdul Noury, Serard Roland (2007). Democratic Politics in the European Parliament (Themes in European Governance). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521694605. (draft version on-line)
Hoskyns, Catherine; Michael Newman (2000). Democratizing the European Union: Issues for the twenty-first Century (Perspectives on Democratization. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719056666.
Corbett, Richard; [ Reform. ISBN 1901229491.
Lodge, Juliet (200-04-18). The 2004 Elections to the European Parliament. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1403935182.
Maier, Michaela; Tenscher, Jens (2006). Campaigning in Europe, Campaigning for Europe: Political Parties, Campaigns, Mass Media and the European Parliament Elections 2004 (Medien). Lit Verlag. ISBN 978-3825893224.
Rittberger, Berthold (2007). Building Europe's Parliament: Democratic Representation Beyond the Nation State. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199231997.
Schmitter, Philippe (2000). How to Democratize the EU ... and Why Bother? (Governance in Europe). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0847699056.
Scully, Rodger (2005). Becoming European?: Attitudes, Behaviour, and Socialization in the European Parliament. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199284320.
Smith, Julie (1999). Europe's Elected Parliament (Contemporary European Studies). London: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0333598740.
Steuenberg, Bernard; Jacques Thomassen (2002). The European Parliament on the Move: Toward Parliamentary Democracy in Europe (Governance in Europe). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0742501263.
Watson, Graham (2004). EU've Got Mail!: Liberal Letters from the European Parliament. Baghot Publishing. ISBN 978-0954574512.
Wood, David M.; Birol A. Yesilada (2007). The Emerging European Union (4th Ed.). Pearson Longman. ISBN 0-321-43941-4.
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