You vote for MEPs (I believe all EU constituencies are multi-member constituencies) Those MEPs are usually members of national parties, and members of groups o

You vote for MEPs (I believe all EU constituencies are multi-member constituencies) Those MEPs are usually members of national parties, and members of groups of parties (and "eu party"). The latter would include EPP (conservatives), S&D (socialists), ALDE (liberals), ECR (eurosceptic conservatives), Greens, etc. (My descriptions are probably a bit simplistic) The makeup of the groups-of-parties at each election is shown at this picture https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/86b6bea58f11c021b70a110257250046.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/86b6bea58... The 750 MEPs in parliament then vote in the Commissioner. As no group of parties has an absolute majority, it requires pan-ideology agreement. The rule is that the commissioner candidate of the largest group gets the first shot, and the MEPs approve or reject him. In 2014 the EPP were the largest group, with 217 MEPs. S&D were next with 189. As such the EPP candidate - Jean-Claude Juncker (who was elected at an EPP conference in March 2014) - was the first in line. The EU Council (heads of state of the 28 countries) asked the leaders of the various EU parties if he'd do, and the EPP and S&D agreed. The EU Council then voted 26-2 to approve him and pass him, and his policies, to the MEPs to be approved. It's typical coalition building. Most proponents of FPTP don't like this sort of compromise (I.e. Juncker's policies had to not only satisfy the 29% of MEPs in his "party", but enough of the rest to maintain approval), but it's not an aberation. Then the MEPs looked at his policies, debated, then voted for or against him, and with 422 of 750 votes, he was approved. It might seem a little alien to those who are used to a FPTP system, or to a directly elected executive, but it's quite similar to the way the UK 2010-2015 government was formed.