"Political parties and the problem of legitimacy in the European Union"

Ladrech, Robert. (1997) "Political parties and the problem of legitimacy in the European Union". In: UNSPECIFIED, Seattle, WA. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The European Union’s ‘legitimacy crisis’ and the possible undermining of the classic functions of political parties are bound up in a symbiotic manner. More precisely, the fortunes of political parties, that is, their continuing relevance as organisations promising purposive action in national government, and the legitimacy of the EU as the provider of certain collective goods, have become intertwined. The paper begins with a presentation of the EU’s legitimacy problem in terms of the attitudes of European citizens toward European integration and the expectation of material gain. This section will further develop the point noted above about public expectations unjustifiably attributed to the EU, thus adding to legitimacy problems. The second section will introduce the theme of national party difficulties, especially the potential for growing irrelevance as a consequence of increasing EU policy competence. The third section will then document activities to date concerning attempts by national party elites to influence the policy agenda of the EU. Here special focus is given to the manner in which transnational and supranational partisan organisations have been mobilised to achieve national goals in the context of the 1996/97 Intergovernmental Conference. Finally, the conclusion will address the implications of a more partisan EU, that is, the consequences that could result from the introduction of a Left-Right axis into EU politics.

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