How powerful is the European Parliament?
Upcoming elections show its growing clout
BETWEEN JUNE 6TH and 9th the European Union will hold an election for the European Parliament. The chamber has long had a reputation for toothlessness: critics have derided it as a “paper tiger” and a “Mickey Mouse” assembly. Most attempts to enact change, they say, get tangled in red tape. Yet the European Parliament has gradually become more powerful since its inception as a directly elected chamber in 1979. The outcome of the election will help to determine how the EU tackles a range of geopolitical problems, from the war in Ukraine to climate change. How does the parliament work and why does it matter?
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