The European Parliament may be obscure to many Americans, but it is one of the most important legislative institutions in the world, tasked with co-adopting EU laws, setting standards and promoting values that go well beyond the EU’s political borders. The embodiment of European style democracy, it is within the Parliament's chambers that European citizens from all the 27 EU Member States are represented. In this second episode we sat down with Kaitlin Alper, a lecturer and doctoral candidate in political science at the university of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She gives us a snapshot of this unique institution, outlining powers, development and structures often using useful comparisons with the US Congress which facilitates an easier understanding by US students.