ABSTRACT
This chapter covers five topics, the specificity of the European Parliament, key aspects of the organisation of its Administration, the latter's role in the context of Parliamentary work and how it manages both Inter-institutional and External Relations and a number of current challenges. The Lisbon Treaty provides for the European Parliament to have 751 members, which would make it the world's largest directly elected Parliament. The European Parliament has developed a dense network of inter-parliamentary contacts throughout the world and has also been proactive in parliamentary diplomacy in the promotion of human rights and of other EU policy objectives, such as in the field of climate change. The EP's Directorate-General for Innovation and Technological Support has played a crucial role in ensuring business continuity during the pandemic. Three main features have helped to shape the (short) story of the European Parliament: its specific characteristics, its evolving competences and its capacity to adapt.
