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Elections to the European Parliament will be held from 4 June to 7 June 2009^[1][2][3] in the 27 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom – for instance on 4 June 2009, a Thursday, in the United Kingdom. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy The Treaties of the European Union are a set of international treaties between the Union's member states which sets out the counstitutional basis of the The Maastricht Treaty (formally the Treaty on European Union, TEU) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, the Netherlands after final The Treaty of Maastricht, which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas called pillars. The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty The Nice Treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February, 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. José Manuel Durão Barroso (ʒuˈzɛ mɐnuˈɛɫ duˈɾɐ̃ũ bɐˈʁozu born 23 March 1956 is the 12th President of the European Commission. The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009 The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. Hans-Gert Pöttering (often written as Poettering; born September 15, 1945 in Bersenbrück, Lower Saxony) is a German A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. The Council of the European Union is the principal decision making institution in the European Union (EU Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union which is rotated between European Union Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Dimitrij Rupel (born April 7, 1946) is a Slovenian Politician and the current Foreign minister of that country The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (HR is the main co-ordinator of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union Voting procedures for decisions not requiring unanimity Here is an overview of the formerly used currently used and proposed voting systems employed in the Council of the European The European Council (referred to as a European Summit) is the highest political body of the European Union. There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union This article refers to the European Union court not the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe The Court of Justice The European Court of Auditors is the fifth institution of the European Union (EU The European Central Bank (ECB is one of the world's most important Central banks responsible for Monetary policy covering the 15 member countries of the Elections in the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according Two member states of the European Union held elections to the European Parliament in 2007. In six European Union Member States ( Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom) the national A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally (especially in academic circles a Europarty, is a type of Political party The European Parliament is unique among supranational assemblies because it organizes itself around ideological rather than national groups Origins of the EU History of the European Union European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC Euratom A Member State of the European Union is any one of the twenty-seven sovereign Nation states that have acceded the European Union (EU since its De facto Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. This article deals with relations between the European Union and third countries The Law of the European Union is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union (EU In economics a Monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency amongst themselves There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union The agencies of the European Union (or decentralised bodies of the European Union) are bodies which are distinct from the European Union's institutions, Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Elections in the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[4] 496 million Union citizens will elect 736 MEPs by proportional representation, topping the 2004 election which was the biggest trans-national election in history. A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according

It could potentially be the first election to take place under the expected Treaty of Lisbon, increasing the power of the Parliament and relevance of the election. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the

Contents 1 Election date 2 Changes in this election 2.1 New member states 2.2 Re-apportionment of seats 2.3 Media coverage 2.4 'Truly' pan-European parties 3 Potential events 3.1 Commission President 3.2 Political alliance shuffling 3.2.1 Fate of AEN/UEN 3.2.2 Movement for European Reform 3.2.3 Other issues 4 References

Election date

There is some confusion as to the actual date of the election, as some sources indicate the election will be held a week later. The Luxembourgian legislative election, which usually takes place at the same time, is set to be held on 14 June 2009. Legislative elections will be held in Luxembourg on 14 June 2009, a date meant to coincide with the 2009 election to the European Parliament Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. A similar situation exists with the Bulgarian parliamentary election. Parliamentary elections will be held in Bulgaria on 14 June 2009, a date meant to coincide with the 2009 election to the European Parliament ^[5] Conversely, discussions are under way to reschedule local elections in Britain to 4 June 2009^[6] to match the European Parliament election date, even though some preprinted election material gives the date as 11 June. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. ^[4] Irish local elections are expected to be held on 5 June 2009, as they have been held concurrently with European Parliament elections in 1999 and 2004. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories.

Changes in this election

New member states

This will be the first European Parliament election that Bulgaria and Romania will participate in at the same time as the other member states. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania They had joined in 2007, increasing the overall number of MEPs above the agreed threshold; seats have been reallocated to bring the total back down, to 736 after the 2009 elections; the Treaty of Lisbon sets the total to 751 (see Apportionment below). The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the Elections to the European Parliament will be held from 4 June to 7 June 2009 in the 27 member states of the European Union, using varying election

Croatia hopes to join in 2009 and participate in the elections; however European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn has that said 2010 is more likely accession date. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between The Commissioner for Enlargement is the member of the European Commission. Olli Ilmari Rehn ( (born 31 March 1962) is a Finnish politician currently serving as European Commissioner for Enlargement. ^[7] This was however before the 2007 agreement on the Treaty of Lisbon, which is scheduled to come into force 1 January 2009. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC This might increase the likelihood of Croatia joining before the election.

Re-apportionment of seats

Further information: Apportionment in the European Parliament

At the previous election member states were granted a fixed allocation of seats for election (current allocation is in the 2007 column below). Apportionment in the European Parliament relates to the distribution of Legislative seats in the European Parliament among the states of the European Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according Apportionment in the European Parliament relates to the distribution of Legislative seats in the European Parliament among the states of the European With the admission of Bulgaria and Romania, these allocations will be modified under the existing Treaty of Nice (see first 2009 column below). The Nice Treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February, 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. However, provided the Treaty of Lisbon is ratified and comes into force before the election as planned, there would be an increase in seats leading to a slightly different distribution (see second 2009 column below);

European Parliament Apportionment changes in the '09 European Elections
Member state	2007	2009 Nice	2009 Lisbon		Member state	2007	2009 Nice	2009 Lisbon		Member state	2007	2009 Nice	2009 Lisbon
Germany	99	99	96		Czech Republic	24	22	22		Slovakia	14	13	13
France	78	72	74		Greece	24	22	22		Ireland	13	12	12
Italy	78	72	73		Hungary	24	22	22		Lithuania	13	12	12
United Kingdoma	78	72	73		Portugal	24	22	22		Latvia	9	8	9
Spain	54	50	54		Sweden	19	18	20		Slovenia	7	7	8
Poland	54	50	51		Austria	18	17	19		Cyprus	6	6	6
Romania	35	33	33		Bulgaria	18	17	18		Estonia	6	6	6
Netherlands	27	25	26		Finland	14	13	13		Luxembourg	6	6	6
Belgium	24	22	22		Denmark	14	13	13		Malta	5	5	6
a Includes Gibraltar, but not any other BOT, SBA or Crown dependency b The speaker is not counted officially, thus leaving 750 MEPs. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the Apportionment in the European Parliament relates to the distribution of Legislative seats in the European Parliament among the states of the European The Nice Treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February, 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom The Sovereign Base Areas are military bases located on territory in which the United Kingdom is sovereign but which are separated from the ordinary British territory The Crown Dependencies are possessions of The Crown in Right of the United Kingdom, as opposed to overseas territories or colonies of the United Italicised countries are divided into sub-national constiuencies										Total:	785	736	751b

Media coverage

National broadcasters, the EBU and the Communication Commissioner, Margot Wallström, are jointly working to make the 2009 election more interesting to the public in order to increase the turnout. In six European Union Member States ( Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom) the national Public broadcasting refers to radio television and other electronic media outlets that receive some or all of their funding from the public The European Broadcasting Union ( EBU; L'Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision ("UER" and unrelated to the European Union) is a confederation The Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy is the member of the European Commission. Margot Elisabeth Wallström (ˈmaɾːɡɔt ˈvalːstɾœm (born 28 September 1954 in Skellefteå) is a Swedish Social Democratic Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a Ballot in an Election. Previously, diverse traditions of election night coverage and the situation that the election takes place over several days, have made it hard to attract viewers. The media consortium is hoping to focus the 2009 election more towards the EU level and the European Parliament itself, hoping to make the election more interesting and cosmetically appealing for television viewers. ^[8] Members of the European Parliament (MEP) also started initiatives in late 2007 to make the election more interesting to voters in a bid to increase turnout. A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. ^[9]

'Truly' pan-European parties

A new type of parties has emerged since the 2004 election, namely Newropeans, Europe United and Europe – Democracy – Esperanto. Europe – Democracy – Esperanto or E° D° E° ( EDE) (in Esperanto: Eŭropo – Demokratio – Esperanto) is an electoral list which They intend to run for campaigns in the 2009 election in more or less all member states simultaneously, although they are currently very limited in size. As opposed to established European parties such as the European People's Party or the Party of European Socialists, the new parties are not alliances of pre-existing national parties. A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally (especially in academic circles a Europarty, is a type of Political party The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. The Party of European Socialists (PES is a European political party comprising of thirty-three socialist, social democratic and labour The European Greens were the first to form a formal party to launch their cross-border campaign in 2004. The European Green Party (or European Greens or EGP) is the Green Political party at European level.

Potential events

Commission President

The Treaty of Lisbon is expected to enter into force in time for the elections, which retains many of the changes originally outlined in the European Constitution. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended ^[10] These changes increase the powers of Parliament, including powers over the appointment of the President of the European Commission. The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. ^[11] It has been suggested by some that political parties could run with candidates for the Commission President;^[12] with leaders now linking the post to elections and that convention having being enshrined in the Constitution, further encouraging the possibility. ^[13] Plans by Margot Wallström would support political parties to run candidates, Barroso is seeking a second term and may gain the support of the European People's Party. Margot Elisabeth Wallström (ˈmaɾːɡɔt ˈvalːstɾœm (born 28 September 1954 in Skellefteå) is a Swedish Social Democratic The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. ^[14]

Political alliance shuffling

Fate of AEN/UEN

The Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) political group, today a rump body that can trace its ancestry back to its origins as a Gaullist ideological alignment, seems increasingly unlikely to be reconstituted following this election. Union for Europe of the Nations is a political group of the European Parliament formed on 20 July 1999) Self-Defense of the Republic Gaullism (Gaullisme is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. The associated Alliance for Europe of the Nations (AEN) party would potentially suffer a similar fate. The Alliance for Europe of the Nations is a pan-European political party that gathers conservative and national-conservative parties from across the A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally (especially in academic circles a Europarty, is a type of Political party The desertion of key players for other alliances would likely lower both the UEN's membership to levels where it cannot exist for a lack of MEPs, and AEN's membership to levels where it cannot be funded for a lack of parties that reach the EU's electoral threshold.

The largest single contributor of MEPs to the UEN group, the Italian National Alliance, will completely merge with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia into the People of Freedom by the end of 2008^[15]. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest National Alliance ( Alleanza Nazionale, AN is a conservative Italian political party. (born 29 September 1936 is an Italian politician, Entrepreneur, Real estate and Insurance Tycoon, Bank and Media proprietor Forza Italia (Forward Italy FI is a Christian-democratic, liberal and liberal-conservative Italian political party led by Silvio The People of Freedom ( Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL is a liberal-conservative History Premises Following the run-up to the PdL will inherit FI's membership in the EPP; a single list of PdL candidates will be run in 2009 which would then take their seats in the EPP-ED (or a purely EPP) group, substantially reducing the potential MEPs that a UEN group could draw upon. ^[16]. This move will come after a series of attempts by National Alliance to abandon more staunchly nationalist and euroskeptic parties and move towards the moderate European centre-right, including a previous application for EPP membership.

National Alliance shares the the group presidency with Ireland's Fianna Fáil, a centrist party that has been a proponent of European integration. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach shortened to Fianna Fáil ( is currently the largest Political party in the FF has been even more openly uncomfortable about its European affiliation, with former leader Bertie Ahern often distancing his party from the right-wing positions of his groupmates and describing UEN as purely a "technical arrangement. Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern ( Irish: Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn, born 12 September 1951 is an Irish politician who served " It very nearly joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe during the group reshuffle after the last European elections and is expected to make another attempt to leave the UEN in favour of another group. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( French: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe) is an alliance between two European political parties It has previously attempted to join the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (founded in 1993 is a liberal party, mainly active in the European Union, composed of 55 national parties from across ^[17][18]

A third significant source of UEN's MEPs is Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland and League of Polish Families enjoy very little popular support and failed to stay in parliament in the Polish 2007 election,^[19]

AEN/UEN is also under threat from a potential new group led by members of the European Democrats (see below), who are attempting to woo at least two of its Euroskeptic members away. Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland ( Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej, SRP is an Agrarian Political party and Trade union in The League of Polish Families ( Liga Polskich Rodzin, LPR is a right-wing political party in Poland. Early parliamentary elections for both houses of parliament ( Sejm and Senat) were held in Poland on 21 October 2007 after the The European Democrats is a loose association of Conservative parties in Europe Law and Justice of Poland has been reported to be ready to do just this. Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS is a Polish political party. ^[20] The disappearance of UEN might also have repercussions for Independence/Democracy, as those parties of UEN which do not join another group immediately might then decide to form a new group with the I/D members. The Independence/Democracy Group in the European Parliament was set up on 20 July 2004.

Movement for European Reform

The Conservatives and Ulster Unionists of the United Kingdom, together with the Czech Civic Democrats might leave the European Democrats (effectively dissolving it through lack of members, as only one Italian will be left), which is currently allied to the European People's Party (EPP); instead, these parties will form a new parliamentary grouping based on the Movement for European Reform (MER). The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, The Civic Democratic Party ( Czech: Občanská demokratická strana - abbreviation ODS is the largest Right-wing Political party in the The European Democrats is a loose association of Conservative parties in Europe The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. The Movement for European Reform ( MER) founded on 13 July 2006, is a planned eurosceptic pan-European alliance of centre-right ^[21]

Although the Conservatives alone have the minimum required number of MEPs at 19, they would still need to join with parties from three other countries to formally create a group. There has been speculation that two Polish parties, Law and Justice and Civic Platform, would join the proposed grouping. Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS is a Polish political party. Civic Platform ( Platforma Obywatelska, PO is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative Polish political party. The latter has stated that it will not leave the EPP. Though the former had expressed its support for the continuance of the UEN^[22], it is reportedly keen to join MER. ^[20]

Another possible party is the Latvian TB/LNNK, also currently aligned with AEN. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK ( Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK) is a national conservative Political party in Latvia. There are also numerous independents that might join the group. The most optimistic estimates suggest MER could become the third largest group in the Parliament. ^[23]

Other issues

Another open question is which European party the Italian Democratic Party will join; it could join either PES or EDP, but is likely to join the former, which will undergo a name change (as requested by the Italian PD and the British Labour Party). Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Democratic Party ( Partito Democratico, PD is a Centre-left political party in Italy.

Furthermore, PES and EPP–ED have proposed to raise the limit for groups in the EP from 20 MEPs and one fifth of member states to 30 MEPs and a quarter of member states, which would effectively close down UEN and I/D. All five smaller groups (UEN and I/D plus ALDE, Greens–EFA and UEN–NGL) have protested these proposed changes. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( French: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe) is an alliance between two European political parties The European Greens European Free Alliance ( The Greens European Free Alliance; Greens EFA; French: Le Groupe Verts Alliance libre européenne European United Left–Nordic Green Left is a socialist, eco-socialist and communist political group with seats in the European Parliament since ^[24] The change was voted down 15 to 14 in committee, but a plenary vote is nonetheless expected to be held on it in July 2008. ^[25]

References

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