The president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, has called for a considerable expansion of the powers of the European Parliament, endowing it with the right of legislative initiative, as well as the power to elect the President of the European Commission, TASS reported.

“The European Parliament should be able to make proposals to the EU Council and the European Commission, and not just accept their proposals. It will significantly weaken our democracy,” he said at Sunday’s opening of a conference in Strasbourg, France, on the future of Europe.