What MEPs do...

The Members of the European Parliament are elected every five years under the proportional representation system.

The election is held by direct universal suffrage. Voting systems vary, depending on the country. MEPs exercise their mandate independently and cannot be bound by instructions or receive a binding mandate.

For the period 2004-2009, the European Parliament has 785 MEPs, with a different number from each of the 27 Member States. The number of MEPs representing each Member State varies depending on the number of inhabitants; each country has a fixed number of seats, ranging from 99 for Germany to five for Malta.

The Members of the European Parliament do not sit in national delegations but are grouped in transnational political groups according to their political affinities.

A parliamentary committee is responsible for ensuring that any information that may affect the performance of the duties of a Member of the European Parliament or the ranking of substitutes is forwarded to Parliament without delay by the authorities of the Member States or of the Union, with an indication of the date of effect where an appointment is concerned.