The balance of power in the current European Parliament is crucial for understanding the issues at stake in the 2014 European elections

The next European Parliament elections are due to be held in May 2014. Ahead of the elections, Doru Frantescu assesses the voting trends and balance of power in the current parliament. He notes that although the European People’s Party currently has the largest share of seats, there is a difference between the nominal power of parliamentary groups and their actual power. Factors such as voting cohesion and participation, as well as the coalition dynamics, have an influence on the extent to which parliamentary groups are successful, with larger groups tending to be the most effective.