Yes — it comes from the European Parliament open-data API and is refreshed on a schedule.

No. This source is fully key-less.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Why does Parliament meet in two cities?

A protocol annexed to the EU treaties, rooted in the 1992 Edinburgh decision, fixes Strasbourg as the seat for the twelve monthly plenary sessions, while committees and additional plenary sessions meet in Brussels.

What happens at a plenary sitting?

All members meet to debate and vote on reports, legislative proposals and resolutions, which is distinct from committee work.

European Parliament Screensaver

The European Parliament screensaver shows real plenary sittings of the European Parliament this year, from the Parliament's own key-less open-data API. Past sittings are dimmed and upcoming ones highlighted. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the European Parliament screensaver works

The background pipeline reads this from the European Parliament open-data API and saves a snapshot the saver loads.

Real plenary sittings of the European Parliament this year, from the Parliament's own key-less open-data API.

It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.

Colours can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.

The rhythm of the European Parliament's calendar

The European Parliament is the directly elected legislative chamber of the European Union, and it shares lawmaking with the Council of the EU. Its geography is unusual and is set by a protocol attached to the EU treaties: the seat is Strasbourg, where twelve monthly plenary sessions are held, while committees and additional plenary sessions meet in Brussels and the General Secretariat remains in Luxembourg.

The saver draws on the Parliament’s open-data API, which lists meetings with an identifier, a date and a type. The type shown here is the plenary sitting, meaning a full session of all members where votes on legislation and resolutions take place. The Strasbourg sessions are usually four days long, and the extra Brussels sessions are an addition to those twelve.

Because the calendar is set in advance, the list can include dates that have not happened yet, and it shows when the chamber sits, not what it decides. Committee meetings and political group meetings are separate from plenary and are not part of this view. Sitting dates can also be adjusted, so treat any future entry as scheduled rather than certain.

A worked example

Real plenary sittings of the European Parliament this year, from the Parliament's own key-less open-data API. Past sittings are dimmed and upcoming ones highlighted.

Settings & tips

Accent and Background recolour the display.
Run automation/run.py euparliament to refresh the feed.
Press ESC to leave fullscreen.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real data?: Yes — it comes from the European Parliament open-data API and is refreshed on a schedule.
Is a key needed?: No. This source is fully key-less.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Why does Parliament meet in two cities?: A protocol annexed to the EU treaties, rooted in the 1992 Edinburgh decision, fixes Strasbourg as the seat for the twelve monthly plenary sessions, while committees and additional plenary sessions meet in Brussels.
What happens at a plenary sitting?: All members meet to debate and vote on reports, legislative proposals and resolutions, which is distinct from committee work.

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