Key dates in 2014 European elections

22 May 2014
by eub2 -- last modified 22 May 2014

European Parliament elections which unfold across Europe May 22-25 mark the start of a new, five-year European Union political cycle, with a raft of new leaders to be installed.

(BRUSSELS) - European Parliament elections which unfold across Europe May 22-25 mark the start of a new, five-year European Union political cycle, with a raft of new leaders to be installed.

The vote paves the way to a number of important leadership changes taking place over several months. Here are the main dates:

May 22-25: European Parliament elections in all 28 member countries. Over 380 million voters choose 751 members (MEPs) with the number of seats per country reflecting population size. Germany elects 96 MEPs -- small Luxembourg and Malta each have six.

May 27: Herman Van Rompuy, who as President of the European Council represents the bloc's 28 national governments, hosts an informal dinner of EU leaders to discuss the election results. Under new rules to enhance direct democracy in the EU, leaders must take into account the vote results when designating the new president of the European Commission, the EU's executive.

June: Political parties negotiate alliances to form the main groups in the European Parliament. To obtain official recognition, a group must have a minimum of 25 MEPs elected from at least seven member states.

July 1-3: The first session of Parliament will elect its president, or speaker. To be chosen a candidate must obtain an absolute parliamentary majority.

14-17 July: The successor of current Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is named. The 28 heads of state and government submit to Parliament the name of the person they have chosen. That candidate must then garner majority support -- that is, have the backing of 376 MEPs. If this candidate is rejected, the Council has up to a month to put forward another name. Once the European Commission chief has been selected, the member states work with him/her to name the remaining 27 European commissioners, one for each member state.

September: Parliamentary hearings are held to vet the new commissioners, including the key position of High Representative, the office which oversees EU foreign policy. There have been occasions in the past when candidates have been rejected by Parliament or their portfolios changed.

October: The new European Commission president presents his or her new team to Parliament for approval, while also outlining policy goals.

November: Leaders of EU member states choose a replacement for Van Rompuy as head of the European Council.