The EP is the only pan-European institution to be directly elected by the people.
The EP passes laws which apply to all 27 countries of the EU.
The EP must approve the president and members of the European Commission before they can take office.
The EP works in 23 languages.
The EP meets in two locations: Strasbourg and Brussels.
MEPs are elected in EU countries in rough proportion to their country's size.
MEPs do not sit in national delegations, but in political groups based on their political views.
The EP supervises the actions of the European Commission and can sack the Commission.
The EP holds the purse strings of the EU, and has the last word on its annual budget.
Author: Source: www.europarl.europa.eu
