pean integration . Over time , that helped encourage governments , including some previously reluctant ones , to be more amenable to a stronger European Parliament .
But Parliament ’ s route to power was nonetheless a hard-fought one . MEPs had to embark on a lengthy struggle , using a variety of tactics , from gentle persuasion to political conflict . They sought to interpret the treaties in creative ways , to supplement them with interinstitutional agreements , and to leverage the powers that they had to secure incremental concessions . They also proposed treaty changes .
Remarkably , over a period of four decades , Parliament became a genuine co-legislator in a European Union that had itself evolved considerably beyond the original European Communities , both in scope and in powers . Parliament and the Council now form a bicameral EU legislature . Parliament ’ s approval is required for :
• the adoption of almost all EU legislation ,
• the approval of international agreements entered into by the EU ,
• the adoption of the medium-term budget and the annual budget ,
• the election of the President of the Commission ,
• the appointment of the Commission as a whole ,
• the conferral of delegated legislative powers on the Commission .
It also has a number of other powers , such as vetoing certain kinds of Commission decisions , electing an Ombudsman , and involvement in various other appointments ( to the boards of agencies and to the European Central Bank ).
33