The Political Groups as Organisations: The Institutionalisation of Transnational Party Politics

Abstract

The chapter investigates the process of institutionalisation of the two major political groups in the European Parliament, the Group of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D). It argues that the organisational development of the groups has been triggered by external events, such as the introduction of direct elections, the mega-enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe and the legislative empowerment of the EP. Based on a wealth of empirical material—from documents collected in the party archives to original interviews with senior administrators of the groups—it shows that, over time, they have become both more complex and differentiated, and more autonomous from the national member parties. Yet, the latter are still in control of the selection process of members and continue to play an important, but often overlooked, role within the group organisations.