The 720 lawmakers and their thousands of staffers at the European Parliament travel a lot. Roughly once a month, they gather in the French city of Strasbourg, the parliament's official seat.

Most months also have a "green week," where parliamentarians work in their home countries and meet their voters directly. The rest of the time they work from Brussels.

Having two seats comes with a hefty price tag, but previous attempts to bring them together have failed due to a French veto.

In its five-year term, the European Parliament deals with hundreds of laws. Most are about regulating the EU economy in the single market, tackling climate change and writing rules for agriculture.

When it comes to foreign policy, defense or health care, parliamentarians don't have as much influence.

Even though the European Parliament is elected directly by the people, it doesn't have the final say for passing new laws. It must work together with the Council of the European Union, which represents the 27 EU governments.

EU laws are often a compromise, and it can take several years until people feel the first practical impacts at home.