The European Parliament: History, Political Structure and Competencies

The European Parliament is the largest institution in the European Union, currently comprising 751 members directly elected by their fellow citizens. It is the European body with democratic legitimacy, in contrast to the intergovernmental and inter-community institutions. The history of the European Parliament is also complex, with the number of its members and the states they represent having gradually increased. With the direct election of parliamentarians, a new history was built, allowing for the advances that would follow in the following decades. This book analyzes the European Parliament in comparison with the Mercosur Parliament and the Brazilian Congress, and the history, structure and powers of the European Parliament today and in the past. In particular, the advances made since the Treaty of Lisbon are analyzed, which have allowed the European Parliament to make progress like never before, a symbol of which is the power to intervene in the appointment of the President of the Commission, a topic also dealt with here.