Parties and Party Systems in the European Union National and Supranational Dimensions

Abstract

Abstract Political parties were important actors in the development of the European Community (EC) and have subsequently played a significant role in the development of the EU. Especially after the European Parliament’s (EP) first direct elections in 1979, scholarly interest in the development and potential role of EU-specific parties (henceforth ‘Europarties’) has been conspicuous. Academic books and articles on the topic are too numerous to be individually discussed here, but must be understood within the framework of the general theoretical discussion on the nature and study of the EU. EU studies have long been at the centre of a very heated debate between the respective supporters of the International Relations and Comparative Politics approaches. This dichotomy stems from the views expressed in two articles (Moravcsik 1993; Hix 1994) that revitalized the theoretical debate after a protracted period dominated by empirical approaches. This debate is part of a wider discussion on the adequacy of the two disciplines for the study of the relationship between the international and domestic political systems.