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| 7th European Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Name | 7th European Parliament |
| Native name | Parlamento Europeo (italian), Parlement européen (french), Europäisches Parlament (german) |
| Legislature | Seventh legislature |
| House type | Supranational legislature |
| Term start | 14 July 2009 |
| Term end | 17 April 2014 |
| Meeting place | European Parliament chambers, Strasbourg and Brussels |
| Composition | 736 Members of the European Parliament |
| Control | European People's Party plurality |
| Election | 2009 European Parliament election |
| Previous | 6th European Parliament |
| Next | 8th European Parliament |
7th European Parliament The seventh legislature of the European Parliament sat from July 2009 to April 2014 after the 2009 European Parliament election, comprising 736 directly elected Members of the European Parliament representing European Union member states including Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Poland and Netherlands. The legislature operated alongside the Barroso Commission (Barroso II) and the Van Rompuy presidency of the European Council, negotiating major legislation with the Council of the European Union and interacting with institutions such as the European Commission, European Court of Justice, and European Central Bank.
The 2009 European Parliament election followed the Lisbon Treaty ratification process and took place amid the 2008 financial crisis, the Great Recession, and the European sovereign debt crisis, influencing voter turnout and party performance across member states like Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus. Campaigns featured leaders such as José Manuel Barroso, Herman Van Rompuy, Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Silvio Berlusconi, Nicolas Sarkozy, David Cameron, Manfred Weber, Guy Verhofstadt, Martin Schulz, Jacek Protasiewicz and Eva-Britt Svensson addressing issues tied to the Treaty of Lisbon, Schengen Area challenges, Eurozone governance, and climate change policy driven by the Copenhagen Summit aftermath. Election results produced shifts among European People's Party, Party of European Socialists, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, European Conservatives and Reformists, and The Greens–European Free Alliance.
The legislature's composition included members from transnational parties and national delegations: the European People's Party (EPP), Party of European Socialists (PES), Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD), The Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA), Confederal Group of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), and non-attached members from parties such as British National Party, Jobbik, Lega Nord, Front National, Hellenic Parliament–aligned groups, and national parties including Fidesz, Civic Platform, Law and Justice, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), Forza Italia, Parti Socialiste (France), People's Party (Spain), Syriza, Democratic Left (Ireland) and Christian Democratic Appeal. Shifts occurred during the term with defections to and from groups involving figures like Nigel Farage, Daniel Hannan, Michał Kamiński, Jan Zahradil, Ryszard Czarnecki and Marcel de Graaff.
Presidents elected included Jerzy Buzek (2009–2012) and Martin Schulz (2012–2014), who presided over plenary sessions and represented the Parliament vis-à-vis Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso, Mario Draghi, Catherine Ashton, Klaus Iohannis and national heads of state such as Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel. Vice-Presidents and Quaestors were drawn from parties including EPP Group, S&D Group, ALDE Group, ECR Group and Greens/EFA with notable officers like Ryszard Czarnecki, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Pat Cox, Edward McMillan-Scott, Alejo Vidal-Quadras and Paddy Ashdown influencing administrative and procedural matters. Committee chairs coordinated with Commissioners including Siim Kallas, Günther Oettinger, Viviane Reding, Stavros Dimas, Andris Piebalgs and Janez Potočnik.
Legislative output addressed financial regulation, consumer protection, environment, digital policy and civil liberties interacting with Commissioners Olli Rehn, Michel Barnier, Neelie Kroes, Tonio Borg and John Dalli. Major acts and dossiers included measures on the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), reforms related to the European Stability Mechanism, directives on Renewable Energy, the Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) adjustments, data protection negotiations leading toward the eventual General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), aviation safety following Air France Flight 447, fisheries reform after Cod Wars-era disputes symbolic references, and consumer rights influenced by rulings of the European Court of Justice and pressure from European Trade Union Confederation, BusinessEurope, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and WWF. The Parliament engaged in co-decision with the Council of the European Union under the Ordinary Legislative Procedure established by the Lisbon Treaty.
Permanent committees included the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on International Trade, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, Committee on Transport and Tourism, Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Committee on Budgetary Control, Committee on Budgets, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and the Committee on Regional Development. Delegations maintained relations with parliaments of third countries and organizations such as the United States Congress, Russian State Duma, Parliament of Turkey, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, African Union, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Central American Parliament and delegations for relations with China, India, Japan, Brazil and Ukraine. High-profile committee inquiries involved subjects linked to LuxLeaks precursors, banking supervision debates tied to the Basel III framework and investigations related to Philipp Morris-style lobbying allegations.
Plenary sessions convened in Strasbourg and additional sittings in Brussels with administrative meetings at the European Parliament Secretariat in Luxembourg; notable plenaries voted on legislative reports, consent motions, and resolutions concerning the Eurozone crisis, sanctions relating to Belarus, enlargement issues involving Croatia accession, and human rights debates on Syria, Iran, Egypt post-2011 uprisings, and Tunisia after the Jasmine Revolution. Parliamentary questions summoned Commissioners such as Cecilia Malmström, Maroš Šefčovič, Andris Piebalgs and Günther Oettinger for accountability sessions, and plenary debates sometimes hosted appearances by heads of state like Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Hillary Clinton in associated forums.
Controversies included the Panama Papers-style concerns prior to the leaks era, expenses scandals involving MEP allowances, corruption allegations leading to investigations targeting individual MEPs and lobbyists, the Cash-for-laws style critiques, and debates over transparency with groups such as Transparency International and Corporate Europe Observatory. Political shocks included the rise of eurosceptic delegations like UK Independence Party and shifts in national delegations of Italy with The People of Freedom and Northern League turbulence, legal challenges at the European Court of Justice over electoral procedures, and high-profile defections that altered committee balances. The legislature also played a role in the preparatory debate on Ukraine pre-2014 turmoil and the enlargement process culminating in Croatia membership accession preparations.
Category:European Parliament legislatures