Why give
a vote?

The European Parliament has a lot of power to decide on many of the things that matter to you.

Your vote matters. Here's why

Bear with us just a bit. Sounds boring but it’s super important.

Most EU law is created through this procedure called co-decision. It was agreed by all EU Member States. In a nutshell…

  1. The European Council (think Presidents and Prime Ministers) decide on a general direction for the EU.
  2. The European Commission drafts laws based on the decisions of the European Council.
  3. The European Parliament (people you’ll elect in May) and the Council of Ministers (Ministers from your national government) make changes to the proposal from the Commission and go back and forward until they agree. The proposal becomes law only when the Parliament and the Council agree.

So yup, the European Parliament is a pretty big deal and has a lot of power to decide on the stuff you care about. Plus, it’s the only EU institution whose members you get to elect directly. Well worth the walk down to the polling station.

Here are some of the decisions from the EU that may matter to you. For more, check out what-europe-does-for-me.eu.