As a former public administration official, I’m kind of a government junkie. Therefore, while I was in Brussels, I couldn’t pass up the chance to learn more about the European Union and how it operates.
Brussels is the seat of the European Union. It has 702 members elected from its member countries. Members belong to parties aligned with their policy viewpoints rather than their country of origin, although a member can also choose to be unaligned (they’re the gray ones in the picture). Approximately 30% of the EU Parliament is composed of women, a far higher percentage than in most legislative bodies around the world. The five largest political parties are the European People’s Party Group (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe (Renew), the Greens/European Free Alliance, and Identity and Democracy (ID).
*EPP (black on attached chart) is considered a centre-right group composed of politicians with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative orientations. They’re against taxation, green issues, social liberal issues (such as LGBT rights and abortion), and also against full Turkish accession. They’re for deregulation and controlling migration into the EU.
*S&D (red on attached chart) is centre-left and is mostly composed of social-democratic parties. The group is the second-largest in the Parliament and stands for the defense of Ukraine, gender equality and women’s rights, the Green Deal, an inclusive digital Europe, and “open strategic autonomy” (which seems to mean dealing with challenges through a united and resilient Europe that has learned from past crises).
*Renew (orange/gold on attached chart) is a liberal pro-European political group. It stands for one united Europe, sustainability, promoting democracy and fundamental human rights, and developing a more prosperous Europe through the single market and open trade.
*The Greens/EFA’s focus is a comprehensive transformation for Europe, allowing everyone to have a good life based on economic, social and environmental sustainability. (Green on attached chart)
*ID (light blue on attached chart) is the EU Parliament’s right to far-right political group. These members are nationalist, anti-immigration and euroskeptic. They wish to protect European cultural heritage, fight EU bureaucracy, and prevent “the potential Islamisation of Europe”. Like, the EPP, they also oppose Turkish accession to the EU. They oppose further evolution towards a European super-state.
Party representations shown here were accurate as of August 2023.
You can learn about the development of the EU, its history, and how the Parliament operates at the House of European History. It is located at Rue Belliard 135 in Brussels. Admission is free. Operating hours are Mondays 1:00pm – 6:00pm, Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am – 6:00pm.