The 2014 European Parliament elections should be held from 22 to 25 May, according to a draft decision endorsed by the full House on Tuesday. The election of the only directly elected European institution will therefore have enough time to prepare for the election of the European Commission President, which should be held in July 2014.

The European Parliament is the only directly-elected EU body and one of the largest democratic assemblies in the world. Its 754 Members are there to represent the EU's 500 million citizens. They are elected once every five years by voters from across the 27 Member States. The Members of the European Parliament sit in political groups – they are not organised by nationality, but by political affiliation. There are currently 7 political groups in the European Parliament.

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