Alignment with parliament groupings vital for parties

SINN FÉIN could end up sitting where the Reverend Ian Paisley sat in the European Parliament if it wins a seat in the elections. But so could the MEPs from Fianna Fáil.

The political group to which an MEP in the new 732-member parliament belongs is vital when it comes to promoting interests in the increasingly powerful European Parliament.

The groups decide who sits on the president's bureau, divide out the influential chairmanships of the parliament's committees, appoint the members to these committees and set the agenda for the plenary sessions in the parliament, including allocating speaking time to MEPs.