European Parliament

The European Parliament, which makes its home in Strasbourg and Brussels, brings accountability to the community, but its powers are severely limited. Having no official law-making powers, the EP's work compares badly to that of national parliaments. The parliament, elected every five years, is made up of 626 representatives from each member state that form themselves into cross-national groups representing all the colors of the political spectrum. Its role is limited to an advisory one: it supervises the European Commission, the legislative process and has final approval over the EU’s €97 billion ($97.9 nillion) budget.