86UK GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS A揨up the component communities of the EU; it can arbitrate in disputes between member states and on those between the Commission and member states; it can overrule national law where that concts with Union law; and it has the power to levy es on ms found to be in breach of Union law, and on those states which fail to carry out their treaty obligations. The ECJ has 27 judges, appointed by common agreement of the member states for a renewable term of six years. Further reading: N. Nugent, The Government and Politics of the European Union, Palgrave, 2003 ECSC see European Coal and Steel Community European Economic Community see European Union European Parliament (EP) The European Parliament was st directly elected in 1979, with the number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from each country determined by its size. There are currently 785 members, the UK having 78. The whole Parliament meets in Strasbourg one week in every month, but much of the important work is done in one of the 20 all-party standing committees based in Brussels. MEPs belong to European party groups of which the two largest are the Party of European Socialists (PES) on the left and the European People Party (EPP) on the centre-right. The main powers of the EP are: to vote on the acceptance of new member states; to reject or amend Council decisions affecting the Single Market; to reject or amend the EU budget; to dismiss the entire Commission, on a two-thirds majority; and to accept or reject a new President of the Commission. Traditionally derided as a alking shop� the EP bid for a more meaningful role was recognised in the Single
