This open access book provides the first ever authoritative collection of scholarly insights, based upon original research, into the political groups of the EP tackling the fundamental changes since the Lisbon Treaty and the upsurge of radical right parties. It analyses political groups and their importance from multiple perspectives critically assessing their role and significance in EU politics. Each chapter is authored by leading scholars in the field, working on key topics in relation to political groups: political group formation and function, their role in parliamentary and EU policy-making, the way that Eurosceptic MEPs influence (or not) the Parliament, and the nature and form of interactions with external actors. In doing so, each chapter opens hitherto unexplored 'black boxes' in the political work of the EP, such as the internal practices of, and power relations within the political groups, and informal arenas of intra-group decision-making.

Provides a multi-layered, methodically nuanced and complex analysis of the democratic possibilities Contributes to broader debates about democracy within the EU in general, and the EP in particular Combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to how key research problems are overcome This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access

Autorentext

Petra Ahrens is Senior Researcher in the Faculty of Social Science, Tampere University, Finland.

Anna Elomäki is Senior Researcher in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland.

Johanna Kantola is Professor of Gender Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: European Parliament's Political Groups in Turbulent Times.- 2. Negotiating Power and Democracy in Political Groups Formation in the European Parliament.- 3. The Political Groups as Organisations: The Institutionalisation of Transnational Party Politics.- 4. Democratic Practices and Political Dynamics of Intra-Group Policy Formation in the European Parliament.- 5. Eurosceptic Contestation and Legislative Behaviour in the European Parliament.- 6. When Words Do Not Follow Deeds: An Analysis of Party Competition between Centre-Right and Eurosceptic Radical-Right Parties in the European Parliament?.- 7. How Do Eurosceptics Wage Opposition in the European Parliament? Patterns of Behaviour in the 8th Legislature.- 8. Shaping the EU's Future? Europarties, European Parliament's Political Groups and the Conference on the Future of Europe.- 9. (Disap)pointing in the Mirror: The European Parliament's Obligations to Protect EU Basic Values in Member States and at EU Level.- 10. Parliamentary Politics and Polarisation around Gender: Tackling Inequalities in Political Groups in the European Parliament.- 11. 'Ethno, Ethno, What?': Using Ethnography to Explore the European Parliament's Political Groups in Turbulent Times.- 12. Turbulent Times for the European Parliament's Political Groups? Lessons on Continuity and Change.