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The internal politics of the European Parliament

10 important questions on The internal politics of the European Parliament

The EP has been characterized as an institution composed of strong committees and weak parties. The committees have been viewed as what?

As a key verhicle through which the EP can exercise its legislative prerogatives and hold the EU executive to account.

However, as the EP's powers have expanded, the political groups have emerged as ever more important actors, for it is they who what?

Who hold the power of patronage within the Parliament, and who act as a key conduit between Brussels and national parliamentary parties.

Why do the groups play a central role within the EP?

Because they control appointments to positions of responsibility and set the EP's calendar and agenda.

What are the most important positions within the EP?

- The President, who acts as the EP's figurehead, chairing the Plenary and representing the EP in external negotiations and meetings;
- The Vice-Presidents who support the President and help to run the EP; and
- The committee chairs, who organize and run committee meetings.

A key position within the EP is the role of committee chair, who is responsible for what?

For organizing the calendar and agenda of meetings, chairing meetings, and participating in inter-institutional negotiations under the OLP.

The committees are the repositories of policy expertise, and are, amongst other things, respronsible for appointing teams of negotiators who can engage in intra- and inter-institutional negotiations.

Why is the role of committee chair important?

Because the committees are the locus for the vast majority of parliamentary work, and they play a key role in enabling the EP to exercise legislative power and hold the EU's executive to account.

The membership of each committee roughly mirrors what?

The ideological balance of the wider EP.

The rapporteurs and 'shadow' rapporteurs are central members of the team responsible for negotiating with the Council under the OLP. They also play an important role in shaping the position adopted by their political groups as a result of their policy expertise. What are rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs?

Within the committees, MEPs are selected as rapporteurs to draft reports, and their work is aided by shadow rapporteurs, who are drawn from another political group and can feed in alternative political perspectives to the rapporteur and committee, as well as keeping their own party and the wider EP informed about the positions being developed.

Do MEPs vote according to national preferences?

MEPs vote according to ideological preferences. Hence whilst EP is unique as a parliamentary chamber, given its multinational and multilingual composition, to all intents and purposes it behaves as an ordinary parliament, organizing and voting along classic left-right ideological lines.

Is there much evidence of MEPs 'going native'?

No, there is limited evidence of MEPs 'going native' - that is, that they become socialized into a more pro-European perspective, thanks to their experience of living and working amongst fellow Europeans in an EU decision-making institution. However, evidence shows that becoming an MEP has little impact upon individual preferences and voting behaviour: if they are pro-European, they stay pro-European; if they are Eurosceptic, they stay Eurosceptic.

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The internal politics of the European Parliament

10 important questions on The internal politics of the European Parliament

The EP has been characterized as an institution composed of strong committees and weak parties. The committees have been viewed as what?

However, as the EP's powers have expanded, the political groups have emerged as ever more important actors, for it is they who what?

Why do the groups play a central role within the EP?

What are the most important positions within the EP?

A key position within the EP is the role of committee chair, who is responsible for what?

Why is the role of committee chair important?

The membership of each committee roughly mirrors what?

Do MEPs vote according to national preferences?

Is there much evidence of MEPs 'going native'?

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