Democratic Practices and Political Dynamics of Intra-Group Policy Formation in the European Parliament

Abstract

The role of the European Parliament’s (EP) political groups in making the European Union legislative process democratic has been mainly analysed in terms of party-political competition between the groups. In this chapter, we extend questions about democracy to intra-group policy formation and ask, how do political groups formulate group lines on policies and what impact does this have on democratic decision-making in the EP. We approach intra-group policy formation from the perspective of formal and informal democratic practices related to inclusion, deliberation and transparency that influence whose voice is heard. Our analysis is based on extensive interview data as well as the internal rules of the groups, and we pay specific attention to differences between the groups and the political dynamics within them. We argue that intra-group struggles about policy are as important for the democratic functioning of the EP as those between the groups.