Published by the European Parliamentary Research Service, the “European Parliament: Facts and Figures” briefing provides key facts and figures about the European Parliament, both today – during the current 2014 to 2019 parliamentary term – and in the seven previous terms since direct elections were introduced in June 1979.
The briefing includes graphics of various kinds which:
- detail the composition of the European Parliament now and in the past;
- trace the increase in the number of parties represented in the EP and evolution of political groups;
- chart the rise in the number of women sitting in the Parliament;
- explain the electoral systems used in elections to the Parliament across the Member States;
- show how turnout in European elections compares with that in national elections;
- summarise the activity of the Parliament in the 2009-14 term, and so far in the current term;
- present the annual cost of the Parliament compared with other parliaments;
- outline the composition of the Parliament’s main governing bodies.
