The European elections of 22-25 May 2014 gave voters the chance to influence the future political course of the European Union when they elected the 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to represent their interests for the next five years.

One major new development introduced by the Treaty was that, when the EU Member States have nominated the next president of the European Commission in autumn 2014, they had for the first time - have to take account of the European election results. The new Parliament endorses this candidate: it 'elects' the Commission president, in the words of the Treaty. This means voters now have a clear say in who takes over at the helm of EU government.