Publication

As the European Union enters a crucial period of institutional reform with the launch of the European Convention and the upcoming enlargement to 27 countries, how to increase the democratic legitimacy of the Union’s political system has become one of the central issues. To assess how far the EU has developed a democratic transnational party system, the author examines the development of party cohesion and competition. He then explains why increased powers for the European Parliament have led to more rather than less cohesion and competition.