Second direct elections to the European Parliament - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1984 - 80 Pfennig

From 14 to 17 June 1984, the second direct elections to the European Parliament will take place in the ten Member States of the European Community. Election Day in the Federal Republic of Germany is June 17, 1984. The election is based on federal or state lists that can be submitted by parties or other political associations. The founding treaty of the European Coal and Steel Community of 1951 provided for the establishment of a "meeting" with powers of control. Their 78 deputies, meeting in Strasbourg for the first time on 10 September 1952, were delegated by the parliaments of the six Member States from among them, the possibility of a direct election - a "can" provision in the treaty - was not used. The Treaties establishing the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community converted this into the 'must' provision that the Assembly should draw up drafts for 'direct universal suffrage in accordance with a uniform procedure in all the Member States'. After the entry into force of these two treaties in 1958, 142 MPs were sent to the "Assembly", which soon became known as the "European Parliament". The European Parliament presented a draft treaty for direct elections in 1960, which the Council of the EC could not agree on for the next 14 years. Between 1960 and 1975, Parliament gained more powers: it was now no longer merely a supervisory and consultative body but, together with the Council, the budgetary authority of the European Community (EC). After the accession of Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark, he had 198 MPs. In 1975, it submitted a new draft contract for the direct election, which finally led to a Council act in July 1976, which decided on direct elections. An agreement on a uniform election process did not come off despite a parliamentary initiative from 1982 to today. After lengthy ratifications of this decision in the national parliaments, the first direct elections to the European Parliament took place from 7 to 10 June 1979. The directly elected parliament included 410 members, after the accession of Greece in 1981, 24 MPs were added. The Federal Republic of Germany sent 81 MPs, 78 of whom were elected in the Federal Republic and 3 by the Berlin House of Representatives: 42 of the CDU / CSU, 35 of the SPD and 4 of the FDP. These MEPs are members of three of the seven European political groups in the European Parliament, which are formed not by national but by political criteria. These are the Socialist Group (125 MEPs from 10 EC Member States), the Group of the European People's Party / Christian-Democratic Group (117 MEPs from 9 countries), the European Democratic Conservatives Group (63 MEPs from 2 countries), the Group Communists and Allies (48 MPs from 4 states), the Liberal and Democratic Group (38 MPs from 8 countries), the Group of European Progressive Democrats - Gaullists and others. a. - (22 Members from 4 States) and the Group for Technical Coordination and Defense of Independent Groups and Members (11 Members from 4 States). There are also 10 non-attached Members from 5 states. The European Parliament plays an important role in the formulation of EC policy and legislation: - Together with the Council, it establishes the EC budget. Only when the President of Parliament formally establishes the budget can he enter into force. - Its opinions contribute to EC legislation, and its own-initiative reports stimulate new legislative proposals. - In its 18 committees, with questions to the EC Commission and Council and in debates with both institutions, it exercises a comprehensive control over the EC institutions and the budget. - With its public plenary debates, the European Parliament contributes to the information and decision-making of the 270 million EC citizens on EC policy and thus to the democratization of the European Community. (Text: Bonn Information Office of the European Parliament)