Ariadna Ripoll Servent is a Junior Professor of Political Science and European Integration at the University of Bamberg, Germany

• 1. Situating the European Parliament in the EU's Political System2. The Gradual Empowerment of the European Parliament3. Internal Organization4. Legislative and Budgetary Functions5. Non-legislative Functions6. Elections and Electoral Support7. Lobbying, Interest Representation and The Media8. MEPs and their Offices: Managing Frontstage and Backstage roles9. Political Groups and National Party Delegations10. Sites of Translation: From Committees to the Plenary11. The EP as Co-Decider: Key Negotiating Roles and the Power of Concensus12.Conclusion.

This excellent text comprehensively introduces the European Parliament by bringing together a range of sophisticated scholarly literature and explaining it in an accessible form.