If you'd like to print out this page, click the Print button above. Alternatively, you may click the printer icon on your browser's toolbar, or choose File>Print from the menu.     The European Parliament This exercise examines the nature and functions of the European Parliament. 1. Which country has the most seats? Which has the least? 2. What are the main functions of the European Parliament? 3. Why is the European Parliament in general less powerful than the legislatures of the countries of democratic Europe or of the United States Congress? 4. What are the "political groups" in the European Parliament? How are these both similar and different from political parties in the United States Congress or in the European country of your choice? 5. Why would having so many different countries as members make the EU overall a less powerful and more unwieldy institution than the United States government? 6. How could loyalty to the EU and loyalty to one’s own country come into conflict? How does this affect the power of both individual member states of the EU and the EU itself?