Frequently Asked Questions

This is your chance to find out what you need to know about the European Union. Please also check the European Union and What's New pages - as there may be answers for you there.

What is the European Union?

The European Union consists of 25 countries in Europe that have come together to co-operate in areas where it is beneficial to do so. The principal achievements of the European Union are the single market, the single European currency (the euro) and co-operation on social policy, the environment and justice & home affairs (for example in combating terrorism).

The guiding principle of the Union is subsidiarity, which means that decisions should be taken at the closest level possible to the people. For example, whereas decisions on say, the health service are best taken at national level or perhaps regional level (as in Wales), Environmental policy is better decided at EU level because the effects of pollution do not respect national borders.

More information on the EU can be found in the European Union section of this website, or at the EU's official website.

What is the European Parliament?

The European Parliament is one of the EU's three main decision-making bodies, and the only one that is directly elected by the peoples of the EU. It has 732 members, called MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) of whom 78 come from the UK and 4 from Wales. The Parliament examines proposals for new EU laws and can vote to change, approve or reject them. The Parliament also has the final say in approving the EU's annual budget and they also monitor how that money is spent.

For more information on the Parliament look in the European Union section of this website, or visit the Parliament's official website or the Office of the Parliament in the UK.

Who is my MEP?

Since 1999 the European elections have been fought under a proportional representation system, meaning that votes are accurately reflected in the seats distributed. This also means that the whole of London is one constituency, so all the 10 MEPs in London are your representatives, no matter where you live in London.

What is the European Court of Human Rights?

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is NOT an institution of the European Union - it is completely separate. The Court was set up by the Council of Europe, which is an international forum consisting of 45 countries (including all 25 current EU members). The Council of Europe, or CoE, should NOT be confused with the EU's Council of Ministers.

The ECHR deals with cases under the European Convention on Human Rights, which was signed in 1950. This convention was incorporated into British law in 1998, meaning British courts can now administer human rights law. The ECHR is therefore nothing to do with the European Union, though Britain is a member of both.

Click here for further information:

ECHR website
Council of Europe website

What are the Parliament's working languages?

All the main official languages of member states are official languages of the EU, so the Parliament works in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovakian, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish. Maltese has been temporarily suspended because of a lack of available translators.

When will the next European Elections be held?

June 2009.

How much do MEPs earn and is it taxed?

Members of the European Parliament receive the same salary as members of their respective national parliaments. It is paid by their member state of election. A UK MEP currently earns £56,358 subject to tax.

Recently, Parliament has made a commitment to establish a common statute for all its members, removing the salary differential between MEPs of different nationalities and providing greater transparency. At present, Italian and Austrian MEPs earn huge sums while MEPs from Spain are comparatively poor, with British MEPs being somewhere in the middle of the salary scale.

How many weeks a year does Parliament meet?

41 weeks in 2000, including meetings of parliamentary committees and political groups.

Are meetings of the European Parliament public?

Committees usually meet in public and all plenary (full) sessions of the Parliament are public.

What percentage of MEPs are women?

In 1979 16.5% of MEPs were women, and this figure has risen steadily over successive parliamentary terms, reaching 27.5% on 1 January 1996 and 29.7% after the 1999 elections. There are 194 out of 732 female MEPs, and 19 of the 78 UK MEPs are women.

Is there a register of MEPs' interests?

The register is available for consultation in Parliament's offices in Brussels and Luxembourg, and on the European Parliament's website. Robert's register of interests is available on this website under Declaration.

The A-Z of the European Union (from BBC Online).

Don't know your Amsterdam Treaty from your Treaty of Rome? Check out this handy guide to terms commonly used in discussion of the EU: A-Z of Europe