In 1973 Britain joined the EEC and in 1979 began to send representatives to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Aberchirder was in the Northeast Scotland single-member constituency, one of eight covering Scotland. Northeast Scotland MEPs were:
1979 James Provan (CON)
1984 James Provan (CON)
1989 Henry McCubbin (LAB)
1994-1998 (Aug) Allan McCartney (SNP)
1998 (Nov)- Ian Hudgton (SNP)

In 1999 all of Scotland became one constituency, with party lists producing MEPs by proportional representation – eight in 1999, seven in 2004, and six in 2009 and 2014. Not surprisingly there was little contact between any of the MEPs and the inhabitants of Aberchirder. Nor was the fact that fewer than one-third of the electorate bothered to vote.