1) The European Parliament is co-legislator: together with EU governments it decides on proposals that become EU law.
2) The Parliament decides together with EU governments about the EU budget and exercises democratic oversight about how the money is spent
3) It meets and consults regularly with the national parliaments in the member states.
4) The transparency register for lobbyists, which the Parliament has always pushed for, makes clear who is trying to influence European decision making.
5) Every five years, MEPs are directly elected by EU citizens.
6) MEPs sit in political groups and not according to nationality.
7) MEPs consistently champion democracy and human rights worldwide, for example by awarding the Sakharov Prize every year and by attending election observation missions
8) The Parliament works in all of the EU's official 24 languages, so that everyone can more easily follow how their representatives take decisions.
REF. : 20150316STO34709
