Fourth direct elections to the European Parliament - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1994 - 100 Pfennig

The elections to the European Parliament take place in Germany on 12 June 1994. In all Member States of the European Union (EU) is elected in the period from 9 to 12 June 1994. The European Parliament will have 567 members after the next election. Due to German unification, 99 MEPs, 18 more than before, will be represented in the European Parliament. The number of members of other Member States of the Union will also be increased. However, this decision must be ratified by all Member States in order to enter into force. The European Parliament represents the peoples of the states united in the European Union and is the democratic controlling body of the Union. It is the mouthpiece of the 342 million EU citizens. Over national egoisms and party trusts, it attempts to sift, bundle and channel the diversity of interests from twelve countries and almost 80 parties into viable majorities. Today's powers of the European Parliament can be divided into: control rights, budgetary rights, legislative rights and consultation rights. The first Parliament of the European Community was constituted in September 1952 as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). It was a pure delegate parliament, d. H. its members were seconded by the respective national parliaments. Since 1958, with the entry into force of the Treaties of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC), Parliament has been responsible for all three communities and at the time gave itself the name "European Parliament". The ECSC Treaty (1951) and the Treaties on the EEC and EAEC (1957) provided for the direct election of Parliament. But for the first time in June 1979, EC citizens directly elected 410 MPs for a five-year term. The fourth direct elections in 1994 are dominated by the Maastricht Treaty, through which the European Parliament has acquired important competences. With the Treaty of Maastricht, it has the right of co-decision in important areas of EC legislation, such as: The internal market. Here, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the European Union are sitting at the same table. The Maastricht Treaty provides the European Parliament with the basis for substantially strengthening its democratic powers of control. For the first time, the appointment of the European Commission and its President requires parliamentary approval. With an Ombudsman and committees of inquiry, the European Parliament can now fully monitor the bureaucracies of the European Commission and the Council of Ministers. The European Parliament has become increasingly important throughout its history. The Maastricht Treaty is an important step in this direction. However, Parliament demands further rights to ensure more democracy in the European Union. Its main demands are: the equal participation of the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers in all the legislation of the Union, the right of initiative in legislation and the right to elect the President of the European Commission. (Text: Information Office of the European Parliament, Bonn)