European Parliament political 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 20 MEPs from six 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 parliaments.
The political group chairs, meeting in the Conference of Presidents, decide what issues will be dealt with at the plenary session of the European Parliament. Political groups can table motions for resolutions and also 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.
[edit] See also
- Category:European Parliament party groups for a list.
[edit] External links
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