Member of the European Parliament

A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union's directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. MEPs are the European equivalents of a country's national parliamentary members, known as MPs in English; hence, the term Euro-MP is used colloquially in English.

An MEP's day job

Being an MEP is a full-time job. One week in each month is taken up with the Parliament's session in Strasbourg, and much of the remaining three weeks by committee, Group, or full Parliament meetings in Brussels.

Related Topics:
Strasbourg - Brussels

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On top of all this is the need to keep in touch with constituents at home. The problems of having to travel frequently between Parliament and constituency, familiar to most national MPs, are compounded in the case of MEPs because the distances are much further. Parliamentary affairs leave only a couple of days each week for MEPs to spend time in their constituencies, during which time they must deal with individual constituents, local organisations, local and national politicians, businesses, trade unions, and so on. Because of these pressures, many MEPs do have substantial staffs to help them to respond.

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Many MEPs choose to make their family home in Brussels rather than in their home country, to avoid having family pressures competing with other pressures in the limited time that members are able to spend in their constituency.

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Because MEPs sit in a Parliament with far fewer powers than national parliaments, their public profile in their home country is typically lower than that of national parliamentarians.

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