As the European Parliament elections begin on Thursday, here are the key facts about the continent-wide poll and the European Union.
When?
Votes for the members of the European Parliament are being cast from June 6-9 across the European Union, but vary by country.
The Dutch will kick things off on Thursday, June 6. This will be followed by Ireland on June 7, and then Latvia, Malta and Slovakia the next day. The Czech Republic and Italy vote across two days: June 7-8 and June 8-9 respectively. In the rest of the EU, elections will be held on Sunday, June 9.
Who votes?
There are almost 360 million eligible voters in the EU. The minimum voting age varies, but for most European countries it is 18.
For the first time in Germany, minors are also allowed to vote, as the country's voting age for the European elections has been lowered from 18 to 16.
This has increased the number of eligible voters in Germany from around 61.5 million in 2019 to just under 65 million this year.
Who is elected?
A total of 720 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be elected from among many thousands of candidates.
This is fewer members than in the last election, partly as the parliament shrank when the United Kingdom left the EU in 2020.
Where is the parliament based?
The European Parliament has two seats - in Brussels and in Strasbourg, France.
Most of its full "plenary" sessions, where all MEPs gather to vote on legislation, are held in Strasbourg. The Brussels parliament is mainly used for other day-to-day parliamentary business.
Are voters choosing who will be in the other EU legislative bodies?
No, the elections will only decide who gets to sit in the European Parliament.
The EU's other main legislative body, the Council of the EU, represents the member states. In it, national ministers come together in various formations, for example all 27 EU foreign ministers or education ministers, to discuss topics of common interest.
The European Commission - which proposes draft legislation for the other two institutions to scrutinize, change or even reject - is unelected. It is led by 27 commissioners, including the commission president, each of whom is nominated by his or her country after the European elections.
How big is the EU?
The population of the EU's 27 countries as a whole is just under 450 million. The countries have a combined GDP of almost €17 trillion ($18.5 trillion) and account for around 15% of global trade.
How old is the EU?
The 1957 Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community, an EU precursor. Since the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, the group of countries has used the name European Union.
More countries gradually joined the EU since then. Its most significant expansion occurred in 2004 with the accession of 10 mostly central and eastern European countries. The UK is the only country to have left.