Political Parties in the European Union (The European Union Series)

Political Parties in the European Union provides a comprehensive assessment of the importance of party politics to the functioning of the European Union which the authors argue has frequently been underestimated. Incorporating much new research material it covers not only the transnational party groups in the European Parliament but also the participants in the European Council and Council of Ministers who, the authors remind us, are not just representatives of 'national interests' but also party politicians. The Political System of the European Union sets out a new way of analyzing, researching and teaching the EU. This approach starts from the recognition that the EU possesses all the attributes of a modern "political system." The book subsequently argues that we should use general theories and methods in political science to understand how the EU works. For each of the main processes in the EU political system, the book introduces the key political science tools, applies these in a detailed description of the workings of the EU, and compares the results to the latest theoretical and empirical research on the EU. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-20 Shape of the EU Party System....Pages 21-53 Organisation of Parties in the EU....Pages 54-76 Party Groups in the European Parliament: Election and Formation....Pages 77-110 Party Groups in the European Parliament: Institutional Environment and Inner Workings....Pages 111-139 Party Groups in the European Parliament: An Evaluation of Their Performance....Pages 140-166 Parties Beyond the Parliament....Pages 167-197 Conclusion: Towards a Europe of Parties....Pages 198-220 Back Matter....Pages 221-240

Politics in the European Union is party politics. Almost all members of the Council, the Commission and European Parliament are leading party politicians who have spent most of their careers in party bureaucracies, are chosen within parties and accountable to party leaderships. Moreover, as in domestic politics, competition between party elites for political office and public policy outcomes is an essential feature of EU politics.

Renaud Dehousse ; Foreword By William E. Paterson. Part Of This Book Was First Published In French In 1994 By Montchrestien As La Cour De Justice Des Communautʹes Europʹeennes -t.p. Verso. --text Expanded In French. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 195-201) And Index. Translated From The French. A comprehensive assessment of the importance of party politics to the functioning of the European Union, this text incorporates research material covering the transnational party groups in the European Parliament and the participants in the European Council and Council of Ministers. Rather than focusing on a single area of the EU, or on detailed coverage of its institutions or policies, McCormick's new book introduces all aspects of European integration, combining a clear and thematic narrative with essential facts and figures The EU is presented in this textbook as an emerging political system, in which the government, policies and the politics of the system are inextricably linked