The 1970 budgetary treaty strengthened Parliament’s role in the Community budget by giving it the last word on non-compulsory expenditure, an early foundation for later budgetary parity.
The 1975 budgetary treaty further increased Parliament’s budgetary powers, including the right to reject the budget in its entirety and strengthening budgetary control over implementation.
Voters in the then nine European Community member states elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) directly for the first time, marking a major step in the Parliament’s democratic legitimacy.
At the first sitting of the newly elected Parliament, MEPs chose Simone Veil as President—widely noted as the first woman to head an EU institution and a symbolic start to the directly elected era.
The Single European Act (SEA) was signed, beginning a major treaty reform process that would increase Parliament’s influence in legislation—especially via new procedures introduced with the Act.
When the SEA took effect, it made the name “European Parliament” official and increased legislative influence through the cooperation and assent procedures—important steps toward co-legislation.
EU governments signed the Treaty on European Union in Maastricht; the negotiations and text signaled a major shift toward a more integrated Union and expanded parliamentary involvement in governance.
With Maastricht in force, the European Parliament’s legislative and supervisory powers increased—most notably via the introduction of the co-decision procedure (a precursor to today’s ordinary legislative procedure).
The Treaty of Amsterdam was signed as a further reform of the EU’s institutional framework and policies, preparing for enlargement and expanding the use of co-decision between Parliament and Council.
Amsterdam took effect and increased the use of co-decision, strengthening Parliament’s role as co-legislator with the Council across a wider range of policy areas.
EU leaders signed the Treaty of Nice to reform institutions ahead of large enlargement; it also increased Parliament’s legislative and supervisory powers alongside changes such as wider qualified-majority voting in the Council.
Nice entered into force, implementing institutional reforms designed to enable a bigger EU and further strengthening Parliament’s role within the legislative and oversight architecture.
The 2004 European Parliament elections (EU-25) brought in MEPs including from the ten states that joined the EU in May 2004, reshaping the Parliament’s composition ahead of later Lisbon-era institutional changes.
The Treaty of Lisbon was signed, setting out reforms that would later expand Parliament’s powers—especially by broadening co-decision and strengthening its role in the Commission presidency and the EU budget.
Lisbon took effect, transforming co-decision into the ordinary legislative procedure and extending it to many additional fields. It also increased Parliament’s budgetary authority by moving toward full parity with the Council across EU spending.
European Parliament: from first direct elections to Lisbon Treaty powers (1979–2009)
