President of the European Parliament facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids President of the European Parliament
Flag of Europe
Logo of the Parliament
Incumbent Roberta Metsola since 18 January 2022
European Parliament
Style	President
Member of	European Parliament
Residence	Louise Weiss building
Seat	Strasbourg, France
Appointer	European Parliament
Term length	2.5 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Paul Henri Spaak / Robert Schuman
Formation	1952 / 1958
Deputy	Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament

The President of the European Parliament is like the speaker of a school assembly, but for the entire European Parliament. They lead discussions and manage all the Parliament's activities. They also speak for the Parliament to the rest of the European Union (EU) and to other countries around the world.

The President's signature is needed for new laws and for the EU budget to become official. Presidents serve for two and a half years. Usually, the two biggest political groups in the Parliament take turns holding the position. Since the Parliament started in 1952, there have been 30 presidents. Out of these, 17 have served since the first time people voted directly for Parliament members in 1979. So far, three women have been President. Most presidents have come from the older member states of the EU.

What the President Does in Parliament
The President's Role in the European Union
How the President is Elected
- Recent Elections
List of Presidents
Images for kids
See also

What the President Does in Parliament

The President leads all the debates and activities of the Parliament. They make sure that the Parliament's rules are followed. This job is very similar to a speaker in a country's own parliament.

There are also 14 Vice-Presidents. They help by leading debates when the President is not there. The President also leads meetings of the Bureau. This group handles money and administrative tasks. Another group the President leads is the Conference of Presidents. This group includes the leaders of all the different political groups in the Parliament.

The President's Role in the European Union

The President represents the Parliament in all legal matters and when dealing with other countries. When the European Council (which is made up of the leaders of EU countries) meets, the President of the Parliament speaks to them. They share the Parliament's views on the topics being discussed.

The President also takes part in special meetings called Intergovernmental Conferences. These meetings are where new treaties (agreements) for the EU are discussed. The President's signature is also needed for the EU's budget and for new EU laws to be approved. The President also helps solve disagreements between the Parliament and the Council on these matters.

In most countries, the head of state (like a king or president) is the most important person in terms of official order. However, in the EU, the Parliament is seen as the first institution. This means its President is considered more important in official events than any other European or national leader. The gifts given to important visitors also depend on the President. For example, former President Josep Borrell gave visitors a special crystal cup. It had parts of the Charter of Fundamental Rights engraved on it.

After the Lisbon Treaty changed some top EU jobs, people wondered what each role would do. The Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, Andriy Veselovsky, explained it simply:

The president of the European Commission acts like the EU's "government."
The president of the European Council is like a "strategist."
The High Representative focuses on "relations with other countries."
The Parliament's President, on the other hand, talks about the EU's main ideas, like supporting democratic elections in other countries.

How the President is Elected

Map showing the number of presidents from each state: * Seven * Six * Five * Three * Two * One * None

The members of Parliament (MEPs) elect the President. The term lasts for two and a half years. This means there are usually two elections for President during each five-year parliamentary term.

Since the 1980s, the two largest political groups in the Parliament, the European People's Party (EPP) and the Party of European Socialists (PES), have often agreed to share the presidency. For example, one group's candidate would be President for the first half of the term, and the other group's candidate for the second half. This usually leads to the President being elected with a large number of votes.

Since 2009, the outgoing President leads the election for the new President. This happens if the outgoing President has been re-elected as an MEP. If not, one of the 14 Vice-Presidents takes on this role. While leading the election, they have all the powers of the President, but their only job is to oversee the election of the new President.

Before the vote, candidates are announced. If no candidate gets more than half of the votes after three rounds, a fourth round is held. Only the two candidates with the most votes from the previous round can take part. If there's still a tie, the oldest candidate is chosen as President.

Many important people have been President of the Parliament. The very first President was Paul-Henri Spaak, who was one of the founding fathers of the EU. Other founding fathers like Alcide de Gasperi and Robert Schuman also served. The first two women to be President were Simone Veil in 1979 (the first President of the directly elected Parliament) and Nicole Fontaine in 1999. Both were from France. Jerzy Buzek, a former Prime Minister of Poland, was the first President from a country that joined the EU in the 2000s.

Recent Elections

2019 Election

The election for the President for the first half of the Ninth European Parliament term happened on 3 July 2019. David Sassoli from Italy was elected as President in the second round of voting.

Candidate		Group		Ballots
Candidate		Group		1st Ballot	2nd Ballot
David Sassoli	ITA		S&D	325	345
Jan Zahradil	CZE		ECR	162	160
Ska Keller	GER		G/EFA	133	119
Sira Rego	ESP		GUE/NGL	42	43

Votes cast				662	667
Votes needed for election				332	334
Blank or void				73	37
Voted				735	704
Source: European Parliament News

2022 Election

David Sassoli sadly passed away on 11 January 2022, just one week before his term was ending. Roberta Metsola, who was the First Vice-President, became the acting President.

The election to choose Sassoli's replacement happened as planned on 18 January 2022. The candidates included the acting President Roberta Metsola from Malta. Metsola was elected in the very first round of voting. She got more than half of all the votes. When she was elected, Metsola became the youngest President ever. She was also the first person from Malta to hold the job, and only the third woman President in history.

President of the European Parliament


Roberta Metsola (EPP) of Malta from 18 January 2022

Candidate		Group		Remote Ballots
Candidate		Group		1st Ballot
Roberta Metsola	MLT		EPP	458
Alice Bah Kuhnke	SWE		G/EFA	101
Sira Rego	ESP		GUE/NGL	57
Kosma Złotowski	POL		ECR	Withdrew

Votes cast				616
Votes needed for election				309
Blank or void				74
Voted				690
Source: European Parliament News

2024 Election

The election for the President of the Tenth European Parliament happened on 16 July 2024. Roberta Metsola was re-elected in the first vote. She received the highest number of votes ever for this position.

Candidate		Group		Ballots
Candidate		Group		1st Ballot
Roberta Metsola	MLT		EPP	562
Irene Montero	ESP		GUE/NGL	61

Votes cast				623
Votes needed for election				312
Blank or void				76
Voted				699
Source: European Parliament News

List of Presidents

Here is a list of the Presidents of the European Parliament and its earlier forms, going back to 1952.

Presidents of the Common Assembly (1952-1958)

Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium) - Served from 1952 to 1954.
Alcide De Gasperi (Italy) - Served in 1954.
Giuseppe Pella (Italy) - Served from 1954 to 1956.
Hans Furler (West Germany) - Served from 1956 to 1958.

Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly (1958-1962)

Robert Schuman (France) - Served from 1958 to 1960.
Hans Furler (West Germany) - Served from 1960 to 1962.

Presidents of the Appointed Parliament (1962-1979)

Gaetano Martino (Italy) - Served from 1962 to 1964.
Jean Duvieusart (Belgium) - Served from 1964 to 1965.
Victor Leemans (Belgium) - Served from 1965 to 1966.
Alain Poher (France) - Served from 1966 to 1969.
Mario Scelba (Italy) - Served from 1969 to 1971.
Walter Behrendt (West Germany) - Served from 1971 to 1973.
Cees Berkhouwer (Netherlands) - Served from 1973 to 1975.
Georges Spénale (France) - Served from 1975 to 1977.
Emilio Colombo (Italy) - Served from 1977 to 1979.

Presidents of the Elected Parliament (1979-Present)

Simone Veil (France) - Served from 1979 to 1982. She was the first woman President.
Piet Dankert (Netherlands) - Served from 1982 to 1984.
Pierre Pflimlin (France) - Served from 1984 to 1987.
C. Henry Plumb (United Kingdom) - Served from 1987 to 1989.
Enrique Barón Crespo (Spain) - Served from 1989 to 1992.
Egon Klepsch (Germany) - Served from 1992 to 1994.
Klaus Hänsch (Germany) - Served from 1994 to 1997.
José María Gil-Robles (Spain) - Served from 1997 to 1999.
Nicole Fontaine (France) - Served from 1999 to 2002. She was the second woman President.
Pat Cox (Ireland) - Served from 2002 to 2004.
Josep Borrell (Spain) - Served from 2004 to 2007.
Hans-Gert Pöttering (Germany) - Served from 2007 to 2009.
Jerzy Buzek (Poland) - Served from 2009 to 2012. He was the first President from a Central or Eastern European country.
Martin Schulz (Germany) - Served from 2012 to 2017.
Antonio Tajani (Italy) - Served from 2017 to 2019.
David Sassoli (Italy) - Served from 2019 until his death in 2022.
Roberta Metsola (Malta) - Became Interim President in January 2022, then elected President. She is the youngest and third woman President.