EU

#EuropeanElections2019 - What’s next?

Published

6 years ago

June 12, 2019

What happens now the new Parliament has been elected? Learn more about the next steps below.

Between 23 and 26 May, Europeans voted to elect the 751 MEPs to represent them for the next five years. It will be up to those MEPs to elect the next European Commission President and approve the whole Commission as a whole.

European political parties have chosen lead candidates to stand for the presidency of the Commission. After the elections, and taking into account the results, EU leaders will propose a candidate for Commission President. Parliament has said that it will not accept a candidate who has not participated in the lead candidate process.

Before they do that and ahead of the first plenary sitting of the new legislature on 2 July, MEPs decide which political group, if any, to join. There were eight groups during the eighth term.

During the first plenary session, MEPs will elect Parliament's president and vice-presidents.

Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission president during the second July plenary session.

It is then up to EU countries to propose commissioners, in co-operation with the new Commission president.

The commissioners-designate will be examined by the parliamentary committees responsible for their proposed portfolios before MEPs vote on whether to approve the entire Commission in plenary.

The new European Commission should take office on 1 November.