European political party
Encyclopedia
A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally (especially in academic circles) a Europarty, is a type of political party
organization operating transnationally in Europe and in the institutions of the European Union
. They are regulated and funded by the European Union and are usually made up of national parties, not individuals. Europarties have the exclusive right to campaign during the European elections
and express themselves within the European Parliament
by their affiliated political groups and their MEPs
. Europarties, through coordination meetings with their affiliated heads of state and government, influence the decision-making process of the European Council
. Europarties also work closely and coordinate with their affiliated members of the European Commission
and, according to the Lisbon Treaty the Europarty that wins the European elections has the right to nominate to the European Council
its candidate for President of the European Commission
.
added Article 138a to the Treaty of Rome
. Article 138a (later renumbered to Article 191) stated that "Political parties at European level are important as a factor for integration within the Union. They contribute to forming a European awareness and to expressing the political will of the citizens of the Union." So the concept of a "political party at European level" was born.
established who should pay for expenditure authorised by Article 138/191 within certain areas. This provided a mechanism whereby Europarties could be paid for out of the European budget, and the Europarties started to spend the money. Such expenditure included funding national parties, an outcome not originally intended.
added a second paragraph to Article 191 of the Treaty of Rome
. That paragraph stated that "The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251, shall lay down the regulations governing political parties at European level and in particular the rules regarding their funding." The reference to "Article 251" refers to co-decision, which meant the European Parliament had to be involved. So Europarty funding had to be regulated by the Council
and the European Parliament
, acting together.
". This meant that the Europarties can set up and fund legally separate affiliated think-tanks (the Eurofoundations
) to aid them, although funding national parties remains forbidden. The revised regulation also gives Europarties the exclusive responsibility to campaign for the European elections and can use their funds for this purpose (their corresponding political groups of the European Parliament are strictly forbidden to campaign).
was founded in 2010 or 2011 and is officially recognized.
It was reported on 1 November 2008 that Declan Ganley
had registered a company in Dublin called the Libertas Party Ltd and that it was intended to "carry on the business of a European political party". Libertas applied for Europarty recognition which was briefly granted but then suspended following the disavowal of two of its candidates.
, who is an individual member of the European Democratic Party
).
petitioned the European Court of Justice
, arguing that this contravened the EU's stated values of pluralism and democracy. The case was rejected after eighteen months. A closely related case fought by the French Front National, the Italian Lega Nord, and the Belgian Vlaams Blok (now Vlaams Belang) was appealed and rejected.
:Category:European Parliament party groups
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
organization operating transnationally in Europe and in the institutions of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. They are regulated and funded by the European Union and are usually made up of national parties, not individuals. Europarties have the exclusive right to campaign during the European elections
Elections in the European Union
Elections to the Parliament of the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. 736 MEPs are elected to the European Parliament which has been directly elected since 1979. No other body is directly elected although the Council of the European Union and European Council is...
and express themselves within the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
by their affiliated political groups and their MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
. Europarties, through coordination meetings with their affiliated heads of state and government, influence the decision-making process of the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
. Europarties also work closely and coordinate with their affiliated members of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and, according to the Lisbon Treaty the Europarty that wins the European elections has the right to nominate to the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
its candidate for President of the European Commission
President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
.
1992
Section 41 of the Treaty of MaastrichtMaastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
added Article 138a to the Treaty of Rome
Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, was an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany...
. Article 138a (later renumbered to Article 191) stated that "Political parties at European level are important as a factor for integration within the Union. They contribute to forming a European awareness and to expressing the political will of the citizens of the Union." So the concept of a "political party at European level" was born.
1997
Article J.18 and Article K.13 of the Treaty of AmsterdamAmsterdam Treaty
The Amsterdam Treaty, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; it made substantial changes to the Maastricht Treaty,...
established who should pay for expenditure authorised by Article 138/191 within certain areas. This provided a mechanism whereby Europarties could be paid for out of the European budget, and the Europarties started to spend the money. Such expenditure included funding national parties, an outcome not originally intended.
2001
Article 2, section 19 of the Treaty of NiceTreaty of Nice
The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Rome...
added a second paragraph to Article 191 of the Treaty of Rome
Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, was an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany...
. That paragraph stated that "The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251, shall lay down the regulations governing political parties at European level and in particular the rules regarding their funding." The reference to "Article 251" refers to co-decision, which meant the European Parliament had to be involved. So Europarty funding had to be regulated by the Council
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
and the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, acting together.
2003
Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 defined what a "political party at European level" actually was and specified that funding should not go to national parties, either directly or indirectly. This meant that European money should stay at the Europarty level and, as a result, the nascent Europarties started to organise themselves on a more European basis instead of acting as a mechanism for funding national parties.2007
That regulation was later heavily amended by the Decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament of 29 March 2004 and by other amendments, the latest of which is Regulation (EC) No 1524/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2007 These amendments tightened up the procedures and funding and provided for the earlier-floated concept of a "political foundation at European levelPolitical foundation at European level
A European political foundation, formally a political foundation at European level, informally a Eurofoundation, is a research and advocacy organization close to, but independent from a Europarty. They are funded by the European Parliament...
". This meant that the Europarties can set up and fund legally separate affiliated think-tanks (the Eurofoundations
Political foundation at European level
A European political foundation, formally a political foundation at European level, informally a Eurofoundation, is a research and advocacy organization close to, but independent from a Europarty. They are funded by the European Parliament...
) to aid them, although funding national parties remains forbidden. The revised regulation also gives Europarties the exclusive responsibility to campaign for the European elections and can use their funds for this purpose (their corresponding political groups of the European Parliament are strictly forbidden to campaign).
Regulations
As of 1 November 2008, the regulation governing Europarties is Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003, as later amended under codecision (see above). According to that regulation's European Commission factsheet, for a party to become a Europarty it must meet the following criteria:- it must have legal personality in the Member State in which its seat is located.
- it must observe the founding principles of the European Union, namely the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.
- it must have participated, or intend to participate, in elections to the European Parliament.
- it must have in at least one quarter of the Member States, one or both of the following:
- either it must have received at least 3% of the votes cast in each of those Member States at the most recent European Parliament elections.
- or it must already be represented by Members, whether Members of the European Parliament for those states, or Members of the national Parliaments of those states, or Members of the regional Parliaments of those states, or Members of the regional Assemblies of those states.
- it must publish its revenue and expenditure annually.
- it must publish a statement of its assets and liabilities annually.
- it must provide a list of its donors and their donations exceeding €500.
- it must not accept anonymous donations.
- it must not accept donations exceeding €12,000 per year and per donor.
- it must not accept donations from the budgets of political groups of the European Parliament.
- it must not accept more than 40% of a national political party's annual budget.
- it must not accept donations from any company over which the public authorities may exercise a dominant influence, either by virtue of their ownership of it, or by their financial participation therein.
- it must get at least 15% of its budget from sources other than its European Union funding.
- it must submit its application by the 30 September before the financial year that it wants funding for.
Funding
Their total funding for 2012 will be €15 million pre financing. You must add another 20% (18.9 million) which are given later on in the next year after accounts are presented), with a further €9.720 million pre financing,(total amount 12.150 million) for the foundations.The Europarties
There were eleven recognised Europarties in 2011 as follows:| Europarty | Ideology | Notes | First Recognised |
|---|---|---|---|
| European People's Party European People's Party The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of... |
Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... , Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
2004 | |
| Party of European Socialists Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The... |
Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... , Democratic socialism Democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation... |
2004 | |
| European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is a European political party mainly active in the European Union, composed of 56 national-level liberal and liberal-democratic parties from across Europe... |
Liberalism Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... , Centrism Centrism In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between... |
2004 | |
| European Green Party European Green Party The European Green Party is the Green political party at European level. As such it is a federation of green parties in Europe.-History:... |
Green politics Green politics Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy... |
2004 | |
| Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to AECR, is a centre-right anti-federalist European political party defending broader conservative and classical liberal principles. It consists of twelve parties in nine EU member states and Iceland... |
Anti-federalism, Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
2010 | |
| Party of the European Left Party of the European Left The Party of the European Left, commonly abbreviated to just the European Left, is a political party at European level and an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of... |
Socialism Socialism Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,... , Communism Communism Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production... |
2004 | |
| European Democratic Party European Democratic Party The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels... |
Centrism Centrism In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between... , Pro-Europeanism |
2004 | |
| European Free Alliance European Free Alliance The European Free Alliance is a European political party. It consists of various national-level political parties in Europe which advocate either full political independence , or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region... |
Regionalism Regionalism In politics, regionalism is a political ideology that focuses on the interests of a particular region or group of regions, whether traditional or formal... , Independentism |
Usually parties representing national minorities. | 2004 |
| European Alliance for Freedom European Alliance for Freedom The European Alliance for Freedom is a pan-European political party of right-wing Eurosceptics. It was founded in late 2010, the party was recognised by the European Parliament in 2011. Unlike in other pan-European parties, the members of the Alliance are not national parties but individuals.The... |
Centre Right, Reformist | 2011 | |
| EUDemocrats EUDemocrats The EUDemocrats – Alliance for a Europe of Democracies – is a eurorealist alliance of parties and movements from 15 European countries. It operates as a transnational party at a European level , according to Regulation No 2004/2003... |
Euroscepticism Euroscepticism Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state... |
2006 | |
| European Christian Political Movement European Christian Political Movement The European Christian Political Movement, abbreviated to ECPM, is a political party at European level that unites national parties from across Europe that share Christian democratic politics. The member parties are generally more socially conservative and Eurosceptic than the European People's... |
Social conservatism Social conservatism Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role... , Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
2010 |
Defunct Europarties
- The Alliance of Independent Democrats in EuropeAlliance of Independent Democrats in EuropeThe Alliance of Independent Democrats in Europe was a political party at European level.-Creation:AIDE was created on 28 October 2005 in the Rhône prefecture...
, a loose association of EuroscepticEuroscepticismEuroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
s and nationalistNationalismNationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
s, met the recognition threshold from 2006 to 2008.
- The heterogeneous Alliance for Europe of the NationsAlliance for Europe of the NationsThe Alliance for Europe of the Nations was a pan-European political party that gathered conservative and national-conservative parties from across the continent.-History:...
, which included moderate nationalists, national conservativeNational conservatismNational conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right...
s and EuroscepticEuroscepticismEuroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
s, met the recognition threshold from 2004 to 2009.
Proposed Europarties
In January 2008, leaders of far-right parties from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and France announced plans to launch a far-right Europarty by 15 November, provisionally called the European Patriotic Party, Patriotic European Party or European Freedom Party. According to media reports, the European Alliance for FreedomEuropean Alliance for Freedom
The European Alliance for Freedom is a pan-European political party of right-wing Eurosceptics. It was founded in late 2010, the party was recognised by the European Parliament in 2011. Unlike in other pan-European parties, the members of the Alliance are not national parties but individuals.The...
was founded in 2010 or 2011 and is officially recognized.
It was reported on 1 November 2008 that Declan Ganley
Declan Ganley
Declan James Ganley is a British-born Irish citizen, entrepreneur, businessman and political activist. He is founder and chairman of a political party, Libertas with pan-European ambitions...
had registered a company in Dublin called the Libertas Party Ltd and that it was intended to "carry on the business of a European political party". Libertas applied for Europarty recognition which was briefly granted but then suspended following the disavowal of two of its candidates.
Europarty structure
All current Europarties are mostly made up of national parties, Individual members MP or MEPS: MP's who are members of member parties can become members of the Europarty. Additionally, people can become individual members of the Europarty without having to join a national party first (e.g. Marian HarkinMarian Harkin
Marian Harkin is an Irish politician and is currently a Member of the European Parliament for the North-West constituency....
, who is an individual member of the European Democratic Party
European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...
).
Pan-European political organisations that are not Europarties
- Nordic Green Left AllianceNordic Green Left AllianceThe Nordic Green Left Alliance is an alliance of Nordic left-wing parties, founded in Reykjavík, Iceland on February 1, 2004.The member organizations of NGLA are: Left Alliance Left-Green Movement Left Party Socialist Left Party Socialist People's Party Republicans Inuit Ataqatigiit Most of...
: Scandinavian socialist greens - EuronatEuronatEuroNat is an organisation of European nationalist political parties, formed initially at the congress of the French National Front in Strasbourg on 30 March 1997. It had a loose organisational structure, and was in practice based on coordination by activities of the FN...
: Right-wing nationalist parties, including the British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
of the United Kingdom and the Front NationalFront National (France)The National Front is a political party in France. The party was founded in 1972, seeking to unify a variety of French far-right currents of the time. Jean-Marie Le Pen was the party's first leader and the undisputed centre of the party from its start until his resignation in 2011...
of France. - European Anticapitalist LeftEuropean Anticapitalist LeftThe European Anticapitalist Left is an informal network for European anticapitalist left wing parties. EACL met for the first time in Lisbon in March 2000 with the representation of the Scottish Socialist Party, the Portuguese Left Bloc, the Danish Red-Green Alliance, the French LCR, and the...
: Network of anticapitalist, mostly broad left-wing parties in Europe. - European National FrontEuropean National FrontEuropean National Front is a coordinating structure of European Third Positionist, anti-communist and nationalist parties. Sometimes members of the ENF also use anti-capitalist rhetoric...
: Network of far-rightFar rightFar-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
parties and organizations in Europe. - Movement for European ReformMovement for European ReformThe Movement for European Reform, abbreviated to MER, was a pan-European alliance of national centre-right political parties with conservative, pro-free market and Eurosceptic inclinations...
: Conservative and AtlanticistAtlanticismAtlanticism is a philosophy of cooperation among Western European and North American nations regarding political, economic, and defense issues, with the purpose to maintain the security of the participating countries, and to protect the values that unite them: "democracy, individual liberty and...
eurosceptics; springboard for the formation of European Conservatives and ReformistsEuropean Conservatives and ReformistsThe European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament.... - Platform for TransparencyPlatform for TransparencyPlatform for Transparency was a loose unofficial grouping within the European Parliament, established in 2005, for three MEPs who are not affiliated to an official European political party....
: Loose confederation of three independentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
MEPs; somewhat euroscepticEuroScepticEuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
. - Europe – Democracy – Esperanto: Party advocating the introduction of EsperantoEsperantois the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
as an official language in the European Union. - NewropeansNewropeansNewropeans is a European political party running for European Parliament elections in all European Union member states simultaneously. It therefore claims to be the first truly pan-European political party...
: Political movement of citizens with democratisation of the EU as the main focus. - Alliance of European National MovementsAlliance of European National MovementsThe Alliance of European National Movements was formed in Budapest on 24 October 2009 by a number of nationalist and far-right parties from countries in Europe...
: Right-wing nationalist and far-rightFar rightFar-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
parties. - European Federalist PartyEuropean Federalist PartyThe European Federalist Party was founded in November 6, 2011 in Paris from the union of existing Europe United and Federalist Party . Its aim is to gather all Europeans to promote european federalism and to participate in all elections all over Europe.Presidents are Yves Gernigon and Pietro De...
: Federal pan-European party advocating european federalism, stronger European democracy etc.
Membership of Europarties by national party
Controversy
Europarty funding goes to Europarties and stays with Europarties: the funding cannot be used for the funding of other political parties and in particular national political parties. National political parties disinclined from joining Europarties are thereby disadvantaged. 25 Members of the European ParliamentMember of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
petitioned the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
, arguing that this contravened the EU's stated values of pluralism and democracy. The case was rejected after eighteen months. A closely related case fought by the French Front National, the Italian Lega Nord, and the Belgian Vlaams Blok (now Vlaams Belang) was appealed and rejected.
See also
- Parties in the European Council
- List of political parties
- Europe United PartyEurope United PartyEurope United Party is a pan-European political party which aims to achieve stronger and more accountable European Union and especially a democratically elected European Commission, a more transparent European Council and a stronger, more representative and effective European Parliament.Europe...
:Category:European Parliament party groups
External links
- Video : Relations between parliamentary groups and political parties European NAvigator
- Parties' contact details
- The European Parliament and Supranational Party System Cambridge University Press 2002
- Results of the 2004 European Parliament elections by political party at European level
- Europe United Party's official web page