European Parliament party group

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Political Groups in the European Parliament combine the MEPs from European political parties, informal European political blocs, and independents, into powerful coalitions. Each group must consist of no less than 19 MEPs from five different EU member states.

Each group appoints a "group co-ordinator", charged with the task of deciding which way the group should vote in Parliament. It is worth noting, however, that no member is bound by this decision, and there is no official punishment incurred for voting against the party group, such as the "whips" often employed in national governments.

The Party groups decide what issues will be dealt with at the Plenary session of the European Parliament, and can propose amendments to reports that are to be voted on.

As an example of how these groups can benefit European political parties, the European Greens - European Free Alliance group has 42 members, but only 5 of these are from the European Free Alliance. The other 37 are from the European Greens. This coalition means both parties have more power in the European Parliament than they would have as stand-alone parties, thus bringing their causes much-needed additional support.

Group	Component parties/subgroups	Seats (without observers)	Seats (with observers1)
European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED)	European People's Party (EPP) European Democrats (ED)	264	278
Group of the Party of European Socialists	Party of European Socialists (PES) EUDemocrats (EUD) (part)	201	219
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)	European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) European Democratic Party (EDP)	90	106
European Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens-EFA)	European Green Party (EGP) European Free Alliance (EFA)	42	42
European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL)	Party of the European Left Nordic Green Left Alliance (NGLA) other unaffiliated leftist parties	41	41
Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN)	Alliance for Europe of the Nations (AEN) EUDemocrats (EUD) (part)	34	34
Independence and Democracy (IND/DEM)	Alliance of Independent Democrats in Europe (AIDE) European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) EUDemocrats (EUD) (part) other unaffiliated rightist Eurosceptic parties	28	28
Non Affiliated / Non-Inscrits (NI)	Euronat EUDemocrats (EUD) (part) other unaffiliated parties	32	37

[edit] See also

European Parliament Political Groups

Category:European Parliament party groups for a list.

Pan-European political organisations
Recognized by the EU as "political parties at European level":
European Democratic Party | EUDemocrats | European Free Alliance | European Green Party | Alliance of Independent Democrats in Europe | Party of the European Left | European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party | Alliance for Europe of the Nations | European People's Party | Party of European Socialists
Other pan-European confederations of national political parties:
European Anticapitalist Left | European Christian Political Movement | European Democrat Union | Euronat | European National Front | Nordic Green Left Alliance | Movement for European Reform
Dedicated European-level-only parties:
Europe — Democracy — Esperanto | Europe United | Newropeans
Groups in the European Parliament
EPP–ED (264) | PES (201) | ALDE (90) | Greens–EFA (42) | EUL–NGL (41) | UEN (34) | IND/DEM (28) | N/A (32)
Related articles: table of political parties in Europe by pancontinental organisation, elections in the European Union, party composition of the council