Ways of working of the second von der Leyen Commission: collegial decision-making process, structure, inter-institutional & external relations, relations with the services of the Commission, ethics, transparency, communication etc.

Know the political groups of the European Parliament, their role and the rules governing them. See also Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations.

Identify the European political parties and political foundations recognised and funded by the EU and understand the rules governing them. These parties and foundations are linked to the political groups in the European Parliament but are distinct legal entities. MEPs from the same political group may be affiliated to different European political parties. See also EP Political Groups.

Understand the rules governing the conduct of MEPs and former MEPs, in particular on conflicts of interests and financial interests, to ensure the integrity, transparency and accountability of their political activities. Access the register of gifts to MEPs.

Understand the division of competences and balance of power between the EU and its Member States set out in the treaties for the different policy areas in which the EU is active.

Access to summaries and easy-to-understand explanations of the main legislation adopted by the EU and of some international agreements in 32 thematic areas, such as agriculture, environment and climate change, development, external action and single market.

Rules and measures adopted by the European Parliament to promote integrity, transparency and accountability of MEPs' political activities: access to documents, lobby groups, appropriate behaviour, expenditure of MEPs.

Access information on European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEA). EFTA is the organisation set up to promote free trade and economic integration between the EU and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The EEA brings together EU Member States and three of the four EFTA members (Iceland, Liechtensteing and Norway) in the European single market, also called the Internal Market.

European Parliament website of the 2019 hearings of the Commissioners-designate. Understand the process and access the recordings and documents for the hearing of each Commissioner, including the questions and answers, verbatim report and the final assessment of the Committees.

European Parliament Research Service website on the hearings of Commissioners-designate carried out by the EP before their investiture as part of its scrutiny powers. Find recordings and records of previous hearings, the planning of future hearings and an explanation of the procedure and role of the EP.

Independent and impartial non-judicial body that holds the EU institutions and agencies to account. File a complaint to report maladministration by an institution. Read the reports of the Ombudsman's proactive investigations on systemic issues.

Short explanation & infographic setting out: (1) how the EU's long-term priorities are set at the start of the 5-yearly institutional cycle through the adoption of the European Council's Strategic Agenda and the Commission's Political Guidelines. (2) how these long-term priorities translate into the annual work programme of the Commission.

The Conference of Committee Chairs (CCC) coordinates the work of the committees. It plays an important role at the start of a legislative process as it resolves conflicts of competence between Committees. It consists of the Chairs of all committees and meets on Tuesdays during plenary weeks in Strasbourg.

Understand the different parts of EU legislative acts and the principles that guide their drafting and amending.

Understand the decision-making process for secondary legislation.

Register of EU law, EU case law and parliamentary questions. Includes a feature to search by EU lawmaking procedures. Also includes a register of national law and case law of Member states.

Find opinions from regional parliaments on proposed EU legislation, in particular with regards to the respect of the principle of subsidiarity. See also IPEX, for information on the scrutiny of legislative proposals by national parliaments, and the Subsidiarity control mechanism.

Find opinions from national parliaments on proposed EU legislation, in particular with regards to the respect of the principle of subsidiarity. Also provides a calendar of interparliamentary conferences and meetings. See also the 'Subsidiarity control mechanism' tool in the Commission toolbox. See also REGPEX for information on the scrutiny of legislative proposals by the Committee of Regions.

The Commission's Better Regulation agenda is meant to ensure EU law-making is evidence-based, transparent and based on the views of stakeholders. The toolbox contains detailed advice for each step in the policy cycle based on the Better Regulation guidelines.

Understand the powers and access the case law of the judicial authority of the EU which comprises two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court. These courts review the legality of the acts of the institutions of the European Union, ensure that the Member States comply with obligations under the Treaties, and interpret European Union law at the request of the national courts and tribunals.