How can my vote for the MEPs (European Parliament) have an influence?

How can my vote for the MEPs (European Parliament) have an influence?

• and what do MEPs actually do?

• Answer:

  They are the representatives of their country's people in the European Union and specifically in the European Parliament. Well unfortunately many people don't see the EU as a positive thing and don't really care a lot about it and that's why there is not so much participation in the European Parliament elections! People think that MEPs do not really do sth important though I am not one of them! All but 14 MEPs are members of cross-nationality political groups, organised according to political allegiance. For instance, the UK's Labour MEPs are members of the Party of European Socialists, and all Conservative MEPs except one (Roger Helmer) are members of the European People's Party - European Democrats. However, Group discipline is laxer than most national parliaments, with national delegations and individual members sometimes voting against the Group 'line' on particular issues. Furthermore, the position taken by a Group on any given issue is determined by discussion within the Group, not handed down by the party leadership. Individual 'back-bench' MEPs do therefore have considerable influence over the development of policy within the Parliament. Aside from Group politics, individual members are also guaranteed a number of other powers and rights within the Parliament: the right to table a motion for resolution; the right to put questions to the leaders of the Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Commission; the right to table an amendment to any text in committee; the right to make explanations of vote; the right to raise points of order; the right to move the inadmissibility of a matter. Being an MEP is a full-time job. One week in each month is taken up with the Parliament's session in Strasbourg, and much of the remaining three weeks by committee, Group, or Parliament sessions in Brussels. On top of all this is the need to keep in touch with constituents at home. The problems of having to travel frequently between Parliament and constituency, familiar to most national MPs, are compounded in the case of MEPs because the distances are usually larger. Parliamentary affairs leave only a couple of days each week for MEPs to spend time in their constituencies, during which time they must deal with individual constituents, local organisations, local and national politicians, businesses, trade unions, and so on. Because of these pressures, many MEPs have a substantial staff to help them to respond. Some MEPs choose to make their family home in Brussels rather than in their home country, to avoid family obligations competing with other pressures in the limited time that members are able to spend in their constituency. Because MEPs sit in a Parliament with powers over fewer subjects than national parliaments, their public profile in their home country is typically lower than that of national parliamentarians, at least those of the latter who are ministers or opposition spokesmen. I hope I helped!