WHO HOLDS THE POWER IN THE EP ?

VoteWatch Europe, the organisation tracking the voting and activity records of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), has released a special report to shed light on the developments in the first 6 months of the new EP term. The report is based mainly on the roll-call votes in the EP plenary.

Main Findings

• Following the strengthening of the fringes after the EU elections in May 2014, the use of the grand coalition (EPP-S&D-ALDE) as a way to pass key legislation in the EP has increased. EPP and S&D voted the same way in 4 out of 5 votes in the first six months;
• However, the key political votes, that usually divide these groups, are yet to come: as soon as the Juncker Commission unveiled its concrete plans, the grand coalition broke down;
• The fringe groups, in spite of their increased strengths in numbers, have not been able to impose their on views in key EP decisions so far. However, their presence in high numbers seems to be forcing EPP and S&D to dilute the differences between them. This will make it increasingly difficult for citizens to identify mainstream parties’ agendas and relate to them;
• The fringe groups, instead, use other tools to create a disproportionate visibility, such as parliamentary questions and oral and written statements. On the other hand, the non-attached MEPs have become substantially more participative in votes than before the elections;
• After losing a significant number of seats in the elections, the EPP Members have become more disciplined. This allows EPP to continue to be the leading EP group as shown by the ‘won votes’ record. ALDE has become more consensual, while the ECR and the Greens-EFA are struggling to find internal commonalities.
• All in all, MEPs are increasingly interested in the votes taking place in the plenary, illustrated by their attendance reaching a record 88% in the July-December 2014 interval.