In a wide range of policy areas, the European Parliament has equal decision-making power with the Council of Ministers from the 27 EU governments.
In the areas of environment policy, transport, consumer protection, illegal immigration and all matters regulating the internal market, the European Parliament has the power to accept, amend or reject proposals from the European Commission for European legislation.
Even in areas such as agriculture or foreign policy, where its powers are limited, its debates and resolutions often influence the agenda at EU level. Parliament also has wide budgetary powers and exercises democratic control over all the European institutions.
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On some questions (e.g. taxation, industrial policy, agricultural policy, or new eurozone members) the European Parliament gives only an advisory opinion; but the Parliament’s amendments often influence the final outcome of discussions.
Some international agreements require the ‘green light’ of Parliament, who cannot modify the text, but can reject it. This is called assent procedure and it applies to the accession of new Member States and the conclusion of association agreements with non-EU countries.
Outside the legislative arena, although EU Member States take the ultimate decisions on foreign, security and defence issues, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers regularly inform the European Parliament; and MEPs push for action by taking part in political and public debate.
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Parliament also suo moto adopts reports made by its own committee of members, which may call on the European Commission to bring forward legislation in a specific area, or indicate, ahead of a concrete proposal, how legislation should be enacted.
The European Parliament, together with the Council of Ministers, is responsible for establishing the annual budget of the Union. It has the last word on more than half of the EU budget and has a strong say on spending in the fields of social and regional funds, energy, research, transport, development aid, the environment, education and culture.
Parliament is responsible for monitoring the Union’s expenditure on a permanent basis, and decides upon whether to grant discharge to (or clear the accounts of) all EU institutions for the implementation of the budget.
Every European citizen has the right to petition Parliament to ask for problems to be remedied in areas within the sphere of activity of the European Union.