The European elections: what happens now?

MAY

Tuesday 27 May:

11.30 Political group leaders meet to evaluate the results of the elections.

16.00 Centre-right Heads of State and Government and opposition leaders meet at the EPP Summit.

Evening: an informal European Council dinner will take place, at which President Van Rompuy is expected to get a mandate to start negotiations on top EU posts.

JUNE

The European Council and the European Parliament will be discussing nominations for the following posts:

President of the European Council

President of the European Commission

President of the European Parliament

Wednesday 4 June:

10.00 Constitutive meeting of the EPP Group during which newly elected MEPs in the European Parliament will elect the Chairman and Vice-Chairs of the Group.

By Thursday 19 June:

Other existing political groups of the Parliament will hold their constitutive meetings to elect their leadership.

By Tuesday 24 June:

New parliamentary groups must inform the administration of the Parliament of their composition. Formation of a political group requires a minimum of 25 MEPs from seven different Member States.

Thursday and Friday 26-27 June:

The European Council meets for the last time before the summer. This will be the last opportunity for the European Council to propose, with a qualified majority, a candidate for President of the Commission to the European Parliament before its first plenary session.

JULY

Tuesday 1 July:

Constitutive meeting at which new MEPs will officially begin their term.

The new European Parliament will elect its President.

By Wednesday 2 July:

The new Parliament will elect its Vice-Presidents and Quaestors.

Thursday 3 July:

Committee memberships attributed to each MEP in plenary.

Monday 7 to Thursday 11 July:

Committees elect a Chairmen and Vice-Chairs.

Parliament's political groups may organise hearings of the Commission President-designate.

Wednesday 16 July:

MEPs vote for the President of the European Commission, based on the proposal of the European Council.*

JULY-AUGUST

Member States will propose future Commissioners to the new Commission President.

The Commission President will present his proposal for the composition of the Commission and distribution of portfolios.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

Hearings of Commissioners-designate in the European Parliament, in front of the Committees for whose portfolios they are responsible.

After the hearings, the European Parliament must give its support to the new Commission as a whole.

NOVEMBER

Saturday 1 November:

The new Commission takes up its duties from 1 November, if the elections of the President and hearings of the Commissioners have proceeded as planned.

If the election of the President has been postponed until September, the new Commission may not start before the beginning of January 2015.

*The candidate must have received the support of a qualified majority in the European Council, which means that no single Member State can prevent the nomination of any candidate. In the European Parliament, the Commission President-designate must receive the support of at least 376 MEPs to get elected.