[9][10] A later prediction saw 262 seats for the EPP, 194 for the PES, 85 for ALDE, 53 for UEN or the European Conservatives, 40 for GUE–NGL, 50 for Greens–EFA, 23 for IND/DEM (resulting in its dissolution) and 29 NI.

These pan-European parties included the EPP, PES, ELDR, EFA, European Greens, AEN, PEL, EDP and EUD.

The role for pan-European political parties has been expanded by changes enacted by the European Commission in 2007 under the direction of Margot Wallström.

[18] Four incumbent European Commissioners were to run as candidates in the election: Viviane Reding (Luxembourg, information society & media, Christian Social People's Party/EPP), Louis Michel (Belgium, development & humanitarian aid, Reformist Movement/ELDR), Danuta Hübner (Poland, regional policy, Civic Platform/EPP), Meglena Kuneva (Bulgaria, consumer protection, National Movement for Stability and Progress/ELDR).

[19] Ján Figeľ (Slovakia, education, training & culture, Christian Democratic Movement/EPP) was tipped to run but ultimately did not, instead seeking to become the new chairman of his party.

[21] These divide into EU-wide and nationally based campaigns, often by non-governmental organisations focussed on specific policy areas.

Examples of nationally based campaigns include those of the Royal College of Nursing[22][23] and British Overseas NGOs for Development.

[24][25] The European Parliament, National broadcasters, the EBU, with the cooperation of the Communication Commissioner, Margot Wallström, are jointly working to make the 2009 election more interesting to the public and increase turnout.

Previously, diverse news media in the European Union, and the fact that the election takes place over several days, have made it hard to attract viewers.

[26] From 1 April Parliament started putting up election posters, internet banners and billboards encouraging people to vote, with messages such as "How much should we tame financial markets?"

The same 10 posters, designed by Berlin-based advertising company Scholz & Friends Group, were translated into all 23 languages and have been deployed across the whole of the EU.

[27] It had initially been foreseen that the Treaty of Lisbon would have entered into force by the time of these elections, making them the first to be held under its provisions.

[28] It had been suggested by some that political parties could run with candidates for the Commission President;[29] with leaders now linking the post to elections and that convention having been enshrined in the Constitution, further encouraging the possibility.

On 23 June an intergovernmental conference (IGC) of EU member states amended a protocol attached to the Lisbon treaty on transitional arrangements.

The following is a list of all observer seats[83] Note that this table already includes the grouping changes announced by the parties and reflected in the section below.

[86] Although UEN and I/D still fail to meet the basic requirements of the new rules, the adopted compromise also included a provision allowing the continued existence of a group which had fallen below the threshold, but only if it still had members from at least a fifth of the member states and only if it had been founded at least a year before dropping below the threshold; if there is "sufficient evidence" of the abuse of this provision, it need not be applied.

[87] The Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) was a parliamentary group which traced its ancestry back to its origins as a Gaullist ideological alignment.

The largest single contributor of MEPs to the UEN group, the Italian National Alliance, merged with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party to form the People of Freedom (PdL) on 29 March 2009.

Fianna Fáil very nearly joined ALDE during the group reshuffle after the 2004 European elections, and had also previously explored seeking membership in ELDR.