The 732 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent the citizens of the EU’s 25 Member States. The Federal Republic of Germany sends 99 MEPs to the European Parliament. MEPs are elected every five years in general, direct elections. Together with the Council of Ministers of the European Union, the European Parliament adopts European legislation that directly or indirectly affects the daily lives of everyone who lives in the EU. Since 2002, it has not been possible to be an MEP at the same time as sitting in one of the national parliaments (although transitional regulations apply for Ireland and the UK).