Establishment of the institution of pan-European political parties

Abstract

European political parties are a relatively new party institution that has emerged recently and is unique to the European Union. Based on the analysis of EU regulations and the results of the European Parliament (EP) elections of 1979-2019, the article presents the results of a study of the process of transformation of the European parties' institution and makes assumptions about possible options for its further development. It is shown that the EU is gradually forming a complex political landscape in which the European parties play an increasingly important role in terms of their influence of the leading political institutions of the EU - the European Parliament and the European Commission. It is shown that in response to the increasing influence of Eurosceptics, new Pro-European parties are formed and advocate closer integration within the EU up to its federalization. It is assumed that in the coming years, the main discourse in the party-political space of the European Union will be the confrontation between Euro-optimists and Eurosceptics. The outcome of this confrontation will be influenced by various factors of an economic, political, including foreign policy, and social nature, which makes it difficult to accurately assess its outcome. Nevertheless, the current balance of power in favor of Euro-optimists will remain in the EU for the next 1-2 pan-European electoral cycles (5-10 years).