The European Parliament is composed of 626 members, directly elected in EU-wide elections for five-year terms. The President of the Parliament is elected for a two-and-a-half year term. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) form political rather than national groups. In July 1999 Nicole Fontaine was elected President.

The Parliament holds plenary sessions in Strasbourg and Brussels. Its 20 committees, which prepare the work for plenary meetings, and its political groups normally meet in Brussels.

The Parliament acts as the EU's public forum. It can question the Commission and the Council; amend or reject the EU budget; and dismiss the entire Commission through a vote of censure, a power it has never used. However, pressure from the Parliament led to a critical report and the Commission's collective resignation in March 1999. Since Maastricht, Parliament has an appointed Ombudsman to address allegations of maladministration in EU institutions and agencies.

The European Parliament cannot enact laws like national parliaments. However, its legislative role has been strengthened over the years. The Maastricht Treaty provides for a co-decision procedure which empowers Parliament to veto legislation in certain policy areas, and to confer with the Council in a "conciliation committee" to iron out differences in their respective drafts of legislation. The Amsterdam Treaty extends the number of policy areas in which Parliament can exercise these powers. Earlier, the Single European Act (SEA) gave Parliament the right to amend proposals for legislation (cooperation procedure), and gave it veto power over the accession of new member states and the conclusion of association agreements with third countries (assent procedure).