The Emergence of Political Parties at European Level: Integration Unaccomplished

In recent decades, European cooperation among political parties has undergone significant development. This has been the result of ongoing and deeper European integration, the growing party-politicisation of the European Union, and the emergence of political parties at European level (so-called Europarties). Yet the view is common – also among scholars – that the Europarties are merely loose umbrella organisations, basically confederations, with a lowest-common-denominator programme and little or no organisational distinctiveness. In reality, however, the Europarties have transformed themselves. They have become stronger, and they are developing an institutionalised form of party organisation with a supranational party structure. We are dealing here with a gradual institutionalisation of Europarties and party families, and a transnationalisation or even supranationalisation (at least in part) of party politics. A novelty and even trend in Union-level party politics in the 2000s has been the regulation of pan-European parties. As I see it, this is a clear indication of how elites in Europarty circles play a role in shaping the institutional environment of the EU. Their motivation may be ideational, in the sense of being rooted in their principles; or it may be interest-based, insofar as it entails a desire to alter the institutional setting for their own ends. The puzzle to be explained is why the EU – with the consent of the governments of its Member States – adopted the regulation governing Europarties in 2003; as well as the revised regulation adopted in 2007, which allows for new financial provisions, permits Europarties to campaign in elections for the European Parliament, and authorises the establishment of European political foundations to be linked explicitly to the Europarties. Against this background, it is a good time now to look at the Europarties, and to take stock.