http://www.eubusiness.com <p><img src="../../institutions/ep-strasbourg.jpg" alt="European Parliament photo" height="103" width="100" class="image-right" hspace="10" vspace="5" />The European Parliament represents the citizens of the Member States at EU level. It is the only European institution to be directly elected - a procedure established in June 1979 - and the only multi-national parliament in the world to be voted in through universal suffrage. The 736 Members of the European Parliament are elected once every five years by voters right across the 27 Member States of the European Union on behalf of its 500 million citizens.</p><p>Parliament plays an active role in drafting legislation which has an impact on the daily lives of its citizens: For example, on environmental protection, consumer rights, equal opportunities, transport, and the free movement of workers, capital, services and goods. Parliament also has joint power with the Council over the annual budget of the European Union.</p><p><p><strong>EP Standing Committees</strong></p><p>Parliament has set up 20 standing committees to prepare work for plenary sittings. They are divided into sectors: foreign affairs, development, international trade, budgets, etc. and each has powers appropriate to its area of expertise. The committees are responsible for preparing Parliament’s plenary session work. Their task is to draw up reports on legislative proposals that have been referred to Parliament or on which Parliament has been consulted and on own-initiative reports.</p><ul><li><a href="trade-committee">Committee on International Trade</a></li><li><a href="ema-committee">Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs</a></li><li><a href="ire-committee">Committee on Industry, Research and Energy</a></li><li><a href="internal-market-committee">Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection</a></li></ul><p></p><p> <b>FACT SHEETS</b> <ul> <li><a href="../../institutions/euro-elections-results" target="_blank">European Elections 2009 - Results</a></li> <li><a href="../../institutions/euro-elections-09">European Elections 2009</a></li> <li><a href="../../institutions/decision-making-in-the-european-union">Decision-making in the European Union</a></li> <li><a href="../../institutions/ep-powers-guide">Powers of the European Parliament</a></li> <li><a href="../../institutions/eu-treaties-guide">Treaties of the European Union</a></li> </ul> <hr /> <h2>LATEST NEWS</h2> daily 1 2006-08-09T23:01:46Z http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/spain-morocco-farm.f6z About 100 Spanish farmers threw 200 kilogrammes of tomatoes at the European parliament offices in Madrid Tuesday to fight against an EU-Morocco agricultural trade deal. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. farm Morocco parliament Spain 2012-02-14T14:59:43Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/britain-politics.f6x When British Prime Minister David Cameron enters Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond's lair this week, fellow EU leaders trying to prevent their own nations from splitting will look on with interest. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Scotland FOCUS referendum External Relations Britain politics 2012-02-14T15:00:36Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/kosovo-serbs.f6v Serbs in northern Kosovo voted Tuesday on the first day of a two-day referendum widely expected to deliver an overwhelming "no" to the authority of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian government. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics referendum Serbs Kosovo 2012-02-14T16:39:39Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/kosovo-serbs-talks.f6t The Serb referendum in northern Kosovo is not the solution to resolve differences in the breakway territory, the European Union said Tuesday, pushing for continued dialogue. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Serbs Kosovo referendum talks politics 2012-02-14T12:57:38Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/syria-politics.f6o China will not protect the regime of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, Premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday, after Beijing drew international ire for vetoing a UN resolution on the country. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. diplomacy unrest China Syria politics 2012-02-14T12:57:11Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/netherlands.f6j Ten eastern European countries protested to the Dutch government Tuesday about an anti-immigrant website by a right-wing party, urging The Hague to reject what they branded a "deplorable initiative". No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Netherlands discrimination Internet politics Headline2 2012-02-14T14:57:35Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/kosovo-serbs.f6a Serbs in northern Kosovo Tuesday started voting in a referendum aimed at highlighting their opposition to Pristina and anger at concessions Belgrade has made in EU-brokered talks. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics referendum Serbs Kosovo 2012-02-14T09:04:48Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/saudi-politics.f5l The European Union on Monday condemned Malaysia's decision to deport a Saudi journalist back to Saudi Arabia to face charges of blasphemy for comments deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. religion Malaysia Saudi Internet politics 2012-02-13T18:06:01Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-public-debt.f5k Heads of Greek political parties have two days to back tough reforms in writing if they want to obtain crucial European Union aid, Greek government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis said Monday. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Finance Greece politics debt public 2012-02-13T18:05:41Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/kosovo-serbs.f5j Serbs in northern Kosovo said Monday they would go ahead with a referendum this week, despite opposition from Pristina, the international community and even Belgrade. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics referendum Serbs Kosovo 2012-02-13T18:06:15Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/syria-politics-un.f54 The European Union backed on Monday an Arab League call for a UN peacekeeping mission in Syria and urged the UN Security Council to act in order to stop the violence there. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. unrest UN Syria politics Headline2 2012-02-13T18:07:37Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/netherlands.f53 Ambassadors from 10 eastern European states are to send a protest letter to the Dutch parliament over the website of a far-right party, a Polish embassy spokesman said on Monday. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics discrimination Netherlands Internet 2012-02-13T18:05:01Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/myanmar-politics.f4u Myanmar's military-backed government assured visiting top EU officials on Monday that upcoming by-elections heralding the opposition's return to mainstream politics will be democratic. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. politics election Myanmar 2012-02-13T11:28:00Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-public-debt.f4n Conservative leader Antonio Samaras appealed to Greek deputies to back a fresh austerity plan aimed at staving off bankruptcy, as police battled protestors on the streets of the capital Sunday. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. Finance debate Greece politics debt public 2012-02-12T23:09:09Z News Item http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/syria-politics-nato.f48 Despite the escalating violence in Syria, Western powers refuse to unleash a Libya-type operation against a regime backed by a much bigger army and powerful allies. No publisher eub2 Text and Picture Copyright 2012 AFP. All other Copyright 2012 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable. FOCUS US unrest NATO politics Headline1 Syria 2012-02-12T12:38:06Z News Item