title: Sixth European Parliament
text: # Sixth European Parliament
  
  The sixth European Parliament was the sixth five-year term of the elected European Parliament. It began on Tuesday 20 July 2004 in Strasbourg following the 2004 elections and ended after the 2009 elections.
  
  ## Major events
  
  * 10–13 June 2004
     * Elections to the Sixth Parliament.
  * 20 July 2004
     * First meeting (constitutive session) of the Sixth Parliament.
     * Giovanni Berlinguer presides as oldest member.
     * Josep Borrell is elected as President of the European Parliament.
  * 22 July 2004
     * Parliament approves José Manuel Barroso as President of the European Commission.
  * 27 September to 11 October 2004
     * Parliamentary hearings for the European Commissioners.
     * Parliament airs objections to Ingrida Udre, László Kovács, Neelie Kroes, Mariann Fischer-Boel and Rocco Buttiglione.
     * Buttiglione is replaced by Franco Frattini, Ingrida Udre replaced by Andris Piebalgs and László Kovács reshuffled.
  * 18 November 2004
     * The Barroso Commission is approved by Parliament.
  * 22 November 2004
     * Barroso Commission takes office.
  * 12 December 2006
     * Parliament approves Meglena Kuneva and Leonard Orban as new European Commissioners for Romania and Bulgaria.
  * 1 January 2007
     * Accession of Romania and Bulgaria, their observers in Parliament become full MEPs.
  * 15 January 2007
     * Hans-Gert Pöttering is elected President of the European Parliament.
  * 20 May 2007
     * Election of Bulgarian MEPs.
  * 25 November 2007
     * Election of Romanian MEPs.
  * 20 February 2008
     * Parliament approves the Lisbon Treaty.
  
  ## Activity
  
  | | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Reports | 73 | 415 | 481 | 519 | 515 | 268 |
  | Resolutions and positions | 80 | 440 | 483 | 494 | 514 | 215 |
  | Parliamentary questions | 2525 | 6310 | 7032 | 7765 | 8266 | 3373 |
  | Written declarations | 27 | 82 | 91 | 115 | 106 | 52 |
  
  ## Major resolutions and positions
  
  | Resolution/position number | Procedure number | Notes |
  | - | - | - |
  | P6_TA(2006)0552 | COD/2003/0256 | Amended and approved Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, the REACH regulation |
  | P6_TA(2007)0032 | INI/2006/2200 | European Parliament resolution on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners |
  | P6_TA(2006)0490 | COD/2004/0001 | Amended and approved Directive 2006/123/EC, the Bolkestein directive |
  | P6_TA(2007)0401 | COD/2004/0047 | Amended and approved Directive 2007/58/EC, the rail competition directive |
  | P6_TA(2005)0275 | COD/2002/0047 | Rejected the proposed directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions |
  | P6_TA(2007)0199 | COD/2006/0133 | Amended and approved Regulation (EC) No 717/2007, the mobile phone roaming regulation |
  | P6_TA(2008)0342 | COD/2006/0130 | Amended and approved Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008, the air pricing clarity regulation |
  | P6_TA(2008)0293 | COD/2005/0167 | Amended and approved Directive 2008/115/EC, the illegal immigration directive |
  | P6_TA(2005)0132 | INI/2004/2172 | European Parliament resolution on the Common Foreign and Security Policy |
  
  ## Committees
  
  ### Summary
  
  | Type | Number | Notes |
  | - | - | - |
  | Standing committee | 20 (+2 subcommittees) | |
  | Temporary committee | 3 | See below for list |
  | Committee of enquiry | 1 | See below for list |
  
  ### Temporary committees
  
  | Code | Committee | Report |
  | - | - | - |
  | CLIM | Temporary Committee on Climate Change | A6-2008-0495 |
  | TDIP | Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners | A6-2007-0020 |
  | FINP | Temporary Committee on policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007–2013 | A6-2005-0153 |
  
  ### Committees of enquiry
  
  | Code | Committee | Report | Sources |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | EQUI | Committee of Inquiry into the crisis of the Equitable Life Assurance Society | A6-2007-0203 | |
  
  ## Delegations
  
  | Type | Number |
  | - | - |
  | Europe delegations | 10 |
  | Non-Europe delegations | 24 |
  | Ad-hoc delegations | 1 |
  
  ## Political groups
  
      See membership below for details of size
  
  | Group name | Acronym |
  | - | - |
  | European People's Party–European Democrats | EPP-ED |
  | Party of European Socialists | PES |
  | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe | ALDE |
  | Greens/European Free Alliance | G/EFA |
  | European United Left-Nordic Green Left | EUL-NGL |
  | Independence/Democracy | IND/DEM |
  | Union for a Europe of Nations | UEN |
  | Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty | ITS |
  | Non-Inscrits | NI |
  
  ## Leadership
  
  ### Presidents
  
  | Term | President (or candidate) | Group | State | Votes |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 20 July 2004– 14 January 2007 | Josep Borrell | PES | Spain | 388 |
  | 20 July 2004– 14 January 2007 | Bronisław Geremek | ALDE | Poland | 208 |
  | 20 July 2004– 14 January 2007 | Francis Wurtz | EUL/NGL | France | 51 |
  | 15 January 2007– 14 July 2009 | Hans-Gert Pöttering | EPP-ED | Germany | 450 |
  | 15 January 2007– 14 July 2009 | Monica Frassoni | G/EFA | Italy | 145 |
  | 15 January 2007– 14 July 2009 | Francis Wurtz | EUL/NGL | France | 48 |
  | 15 January 2007– 14 July 2009 | Jens-Peter Bonde | IND/DEM | Denmark | 46 |
  
  ### Vice-Presidents
  
  | Group | 2004–2006 | 2007–2009 |
  | - | - | - |
  | EPP-ED | Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca Antonios Trakatellis Edward McMillan-Scott Ingo Friedrich Mario Mauro Jacek Saryusz-Wolski Miroslav Ouzký | Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou Alejo Vidal-Quadras Edward McMillan-Scott Mario Mauro |
  | PES | Dagmar Roth-Behrendt António Costa Pierre Moscovici | Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez Mechtild Rothe Pierre Moscovici Manuel António Dos Santos Marek Siwiec |
  | ALDE | Luigi Cocilovo Janusz Onyszkiewicz | Luigi Cocilovo Diana Wallis |
  | G/EFA | Gérard Onesta | Gérard Onesta |
  | EUL-NGL | Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann | Luisa Morgantini |
  | IND/DEM | n/a | n/a |
  | UEN | n/a | Adam Bielan |
  | ITS | n/a | n/a |
  
  ### Quaestors
  
  | Group | 2004–2006 | 2007–2009 |
  | - | - | - |
  | EPP-ED | James Nicholson Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl Astrid Lulling | James Nicholson Astrid Lulling Ingo Friedrich |
  | PES | Genowefa Grabowska Mia De Vits | Mia De Vits Szabolcs Fazakas |
  | ALDE | n/a | Jan Mulder |
  
  ### Chairs of the political groups
  
  | Group | Chairs |
  | - | - |
  | EPP-ED | Hans-Gert Pöttering (until 2007), Joseph Daul (from 2007) |
  | PES | Martin Schulz |
  | ALDE | Graham Watson |
  | G/EFA | Monica Frassoni Daniel Cohn-Bendit |
  | EUL-NGL | Alonso José Puerta Francis Wurtz |
  | IND/DEM | Jens-Peter Bonde (until 2008), Kathy Sinnott (2008), Hanne Dahl (from 2008) Nigel Farage (full term) |
  | UEN | Brian Crowley (until 2009) Cristiana Muscardini |
  | ITS | Bruno Gollnisch (2007) |
  
  ## Membership
  
      See List of members of the European Parliament 2004–2009 for the full list.
  
  ### Groups
  
  | Group | Seats | Seats | Seats | Seats |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Group | 2004 | 2007 | 2007 | 2009 |
  | EPP-ED | 268 | 277 | 288 | 288 |
  | PES | 200 | 218 | 215 | 217 |
  | ALDE | 88 | 106 | 101 | 104 |
  | G/EFA | 42 | 42 | 43 | 43 |
  | EUL-NGL | 41 | 40 | 41 | 41 |
  | IND/DEM | 33 | 23 | 24 | 22 |
  | UEN | 27 | 44 | 44 | 40 |
  | ITS | n/a | 20 | n/a | n/a |
  | NI | 33 | 14 | 29 | 30 |
  
  ### Apportionment
  
  | State | Seats | State | Seats |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | Germany | 99 | France | 78 |
  | United Kingdom | 78 | Italy | 78 |
  | Spain | 54 | Poland | 54 |
  | Romania | 35 | Netherlands | 27 |
  | Greece | 24 | Portugal | 24 |
  | Belgium | 24 | Czech Republic | 24 |
  | Hungary | 24 | Sweden | 19 |
  | Austria | 18 | Bulgaria | 18 |
  | Denmark | 14 | Slovakia | 14 |
  | Finland | 14 | Ireland | 13 |
  | Lithuania | 13 | Latvia | 9 |
  | Slovenia | 7 | Estonia | 6 |
  | Cyprus | 6 | Luxembourg | 6 |
  | Malta | 5 | Total | 732 / 785 |
  
  ## Secretariat
  
  | Office | Post | Name |
  | - | - | - |
  | Office of the Secretary-General | Secretary-General of the European Parliament | Julian Priestley (to 2007) Harald Rømer (2007 to 2009) Klaus Welle (since 2009) |
  | Legal Service | Jurisconsult of the European Parliament | Christian Pennera |
  | Directorate-General for the Presidency | Director-General | David Harley |
  | Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union | Director-General | Riccardo Ribera d'Alcala |
  | Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union | Director-General | Dietmar Nickel |
  | Directorate-General for Communication | Director-General | Francesca R. Ratti |
  | Directorate-General for Personnel | Director-General | Barry Wilson |
  | Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics | Director-General | Constantin Stratigakis |
  | Directorate-General for Translation | Director-General | Juana Lahousse-Juárez |
  | Directorate-General for Interpretation and Conferences | Director-General | Olga Cosmidou |
  | Directorate-General for Finance | Director-General | Roger Vanhaeren |
  