European Political Parties and Party Finance Reform

'Through an in-depth analysis of the evolving financing of the European party system, Wouter Wolfs makes a timely and outstanding contribution to the debates on EU democracy. A must read for students of European politics!'

• Nathalie Brack, Associate Professor, Université libre de Bruxelles, and Visiting Professor, College of Europe

'Wouter Wolfs sets himself a challenging task of deciphering the complex story of party financing at the EU-level. He does not disappoint. Informative and insightful Wolfs has produced an indispensable analysis of this under-researched topic.'

• Stephen Day, Professor of Comparative Politics and EU Studies, University of Oita

'Wouter Wolfs lifts the lid on European political parties and provides new, critical, and crucial insights into their workings. This empirically rich and well-informed book advances our understanding of contemporary Europarties and the challenges of EU-level party politics in general.'

• Isabelle Hertner, Senior Lecturer, King's College London

'This is a meticulously researched, thoughtfully executed and cogently written study. It is central for the understanding of the EU institutions, especially in light of the hopes that generous public funding will help address their democratic deficit. In a turbulent time, this is a timely contribution on an important subject.'

• Jonathan Mendilow, Professor of Political Science and Global Studies, Rider University, and Chair IPSA RC20 Political Finance and Political Corruption

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the party finance regime at the level of the European Union. Based on an in-depth analysis of the interaction between European political parties and their institutional environment, it shows how the Europarties have coped with - and altered - the funding rules. Considering the strong democratic aspirations that lay at the origins of the finance regime, the book explores its consequences for party democracy and the rule of law in Europe. This book is valuable for scholars working on the European Parliament, Eurosceptic parties, EU decision-making, (European) party politics and political finance.

Wouter Wolfs is Senior Researcher of the Research Foundation Flanders and Lecturer at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute.

Auteur

Wouter Wolfs is Senior Researcher of the Research Foundation Flanders and Lecturer at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute.

Texte du rabat

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the party finance regime at the level of the European Union. Based on an in-depth analysis of the interaction between European political parties and their institutional environment, it shows how the Europarties have coped with - and altered - the funding rules. The book explains why increasing party subsidies have been made available, and why considerable differences exist in how Eurosceptic and pro-European parties have used their EU funding. It also examines how party finance reform at the EU level has been at the centre of party competition, by demonstrating how the rules were strategically changed to benefit some European parties over others. Considering the strong democratic aspirations that lay at the origins of the finance regime, the book explores its consequences for party democracy and the rule of law in Europe. This book is valuable for scholars working on the European Parliament, Eurosceptic parties, EU decision-making, (European) party politics and political finance.

Contenu

Introduction. - An Origin Story Establishing Public Funding for European Political Parties. - Rising Subsidies and Creative Accounting The Income of European Political Parties and Foundations. - Ghost Offices and Artificial Membership Eurosceptic Involvement in the Funding Regime. - Changing the Rules of the Game The Evolution of the Finance Regime. - The Regulatory Straitjacket The Impact on Functioning of European Political Parties. - Conclusions Funding Democracy?