46Received 25.11.2022. Revised 07.01.2023. Accepted 13.02.2023.
Abstract. The article analyzes the increasing influence of pan-European political parties (Europarties) and their factions in the European Parliament, as well as that of representatives of European civil society, on the formation of the pan-European political space, which is becoming an essential element of the European Union’s future political system. The main approaches to the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of strengthening the pan-European political space landscape are described. It is shown that recently, the Europarties became the key agents of the Europeanization process, which has a significant impact on the formation of this landscape. The attitude of the EU political elite and representatives of European civil society to this development is considered. It is indicated that a serious impetus to further strengthening of the political space was given by the results of the European Parliament elections in 2019, following which the influence of Eurosceptic parties markedly increased. It is noted that the recently concluded Conference on the Future of Europe has adopted a number of important recommendations in support of reinforcing the “Spitzenkandidaten”-principle and the introduction of transnational lists at the EU elections, which should also strengthen the influence impact of European parties on the pan-European political landscape formation. Positions of the leading Europarties and their parliamentary groups in the EP regarding these proposals and the process of Europeanization in general are presented. It is demonstrated that a number of the European Council members representing liberal parties have explicitly stated the need to reform the EU political system as soon as possible in order to make it more monolithic and aimed at forming Europe as a geopolitical power.
Keywords: The European Union, the pan-European political space, the European Parliament, European parties, Europeanisation, the Conference on the Future of Europe
REFERENCES
1. Hix S. The Political System of the European Union. London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. 475 p. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-27531-1
2. Busygina I., Filippov M. The Political System of the European Union: What Changes Does the European Treaty Make? Analytical Notes of the Scientific Coordinating Council for International Studies of MGIMO (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, 2009, March, iss. 2 (42). 22 p. (In Russ.) Available at: https://mgimo.ru/files/117797/az-42.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
3. Kosowska-Gąstoł B. Are the Europarties Real Political Parties? National Parties’ Involvement in Multi-Level Structures of European Political Parties. Historia i Polityka, 2017, vol. 20, no. 27, pp. 9-29. DOI: 10.12775/HiP.2017.009
4. Guseletov B.P. Pan European Parties in XXI century: Formation, Development, Prospects. Moscow, IE RAS, 2022. 196 p. (In Russ.) Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.15211/report22022-388
5. Westlake M. Possible Future European Union Party-Political Systems. Bruges Political Research Papers, 2017, October, no. 60. 41 p. Available at: https://www.coleurope.eu/sites/default/files/research-paper/wp60_westlake.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
6. Guseletov B.P. The New Composition of the European Parliament: Forecasts and Results. European Parliament Elections 2019: National Responses to the Challenges of European Integration. Kvashnin Yu.D., Kudryavtsev A.K., Plevako N.S., Schweitzer V.Ya., eds. Moscow, IMEMO, IE RAS, 2019, pp. 26-29. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.20542/978-5-9535-0559-8
7. Habermas J. Why Europe Needs a Constitution. New Left Review, 2001, no. 11, pp. 5-26. Available at: https://newleftreview.org/issues/ii11/articles/jurgen-habermas-why-europe-needs-a-constitution (accessed 20.11.2022).
8. De Vreese C.H. The EU as a Public Sphere. Living Reviews in European Governance, 2007, vol. 2, no. 3. 20 p. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71735374.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
9. Brantner C., Dietrich A., Saurwein F. Europeanization of National Public Spheres: Empirical Evidence from Austria. Amsterdam. First European Communication Conference (ECREA). 2005. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228423357_Europeanisation_of_National_Public_Spheres_Empirical_Evidence_from_Austria (accessed 20.11.2022).
10. Eriksen E.O. An Emerging European Public Sphere. European Journal of Social Theory, 2005, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 341-363. DOI: 10.1177/1368431005054798
11. Trenz H.-J. Media Coverage on European Governance: Exploring the European Public Sphere in National Quality Newspapers. European Journal of Communication, 2004, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 291-319. DOI: 10.1177/0267323104045257
12. Lehne S. The Emergence of a European Political Space. Istituto Affari Internazionali. 18.04.2019. Available at: https://www.iai.it/en/pubblicazioni/emergence-european-political-space (accessed 20.11.2022).
13. Imangaliev R.N., Rangulova E.T. The Problem of Adopting the EU Constitution is a New Challenge to European Integration. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2009, vol. 151, no. 1, pp. 206-216. (In Russ.) Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/problema-prinyatiya-konstitutsii-es-novyy-vyzov-evropeyskoy-integratsii (accessed 20.11.2022).
14. Mérand F. Faire de la politique est une source de risque pour la Commission. Mais c’est devenu inévitable. La Fondation Robert Schuman. 12.07.2021. Available at: https://www.robert-schuman.eu/fr/entretiens-d-europe/0107-faire-de-la-politique-est-une-source-de-risque-pour-la-commission-mais-c-est-devenu-inevitable (accessed 20.11.2022).
15. Segesten A.D., Bossetta M. The Eurosceptic Europeanization of Public Spheres: Print and Social Media Reactions to the 2014 European Parliament Elections. Comparative European Politics, 2019, vol. 17, pp. 361-379. DOI: 10.1057/s41295-017-0099-5
16. Auel K., Neuhold C. ‘Europeanisation’ of National Parliaments: Experiences and Best-Practices. Study for the European Parliament’s Greens/EFA Group. Brussels, 2018. Available at: https://irihs.ihs.ac.at/id/eprint/4746/1/Study_ Europeanisation_June‑2018.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
17. Flockhart T. Europeanization or EU-ization? The Transfer of European Norms across Time and Space’. Journal of Common Market Studies, 2010, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 787-810. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5965.2010.02074.x
18. Meijers M. The Euro-Crisis as a Catalyst of the Europeanization of Public Spheres? A Cross-Temporal Study of the Netherlands and Germany. LEQS Paper, 2013, no. 62. 40 p. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2276845
19. Wincott D. The Idea of the European Social Model: Limits and Paradoxes of Europeanization. Featherstone K., Radaelli C., eds. The Politics of Europeanization. Oxford University Press, 2003, pp. 279-302. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/0199252092.001.0001
20. Fox B. European Political Parties and Foundations: the “Tissue” that Connects. 06.03.2020. Available at: https://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/linksdossier/european-political-parties-and-foundations-the-tissue-that-connects/ (accessed 20.11.2022).
21. Guseletov B.P. Establishment of the Institute of Pan-European Political Parties. Contemporary Europe, 2020, no. 4, pp. 133-143. (In Russ.) Available at: http://doi.org/10.15211/soveurope42020133143
22. Genschel P., Jachtenfuchs M. From Market Integration to Core State Powers: The Eurozone Crisis, the Refugee Crisis and Integration Theory. Journal of Common Market Studies, 2018, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 178-196. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12654
23. Usherwood S., Startin N. Euroscepticism as a Persistent Phenomenon. Journal of Common Market Studies, 2013, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1-16. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5965.2012.02297.x
24. Simmons K., Silver L., Jonson C., Wike R. Mapping the Political Space in Western Europe. Pew Research Center. 12.07.2018. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/GLOBAL/2018/07/12/MAPPING-THE-POLITICAL-SPACE-IN-WESTERN-EUROPE/ (accessed 20.11.2022).
25. Lefkofridi Z., Katsanidou A. A Step Closer to a Transnational Party System? Competition and Coherence in the 2009 and 2014 European Parliament. Journal of Common Market Studies, 2018, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 1462-1482. DOI: 10.1111/ jcms.12755
26. Hutter S., Kriesi H. Politicizing Europe in Times of Crisis. Journal of European Public Policy, 2019, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 996-1017. DOI: 10.1201/9781003002215-3
27. Russack S. Pathways for Citizens to Engage in EU Policymaking. CEPS Policy Insights, 2018, no. 14. 25 p. Available at: https://www.ceps.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/PI2018_14_SR_2CU%20chapter%20on%20Pathways%20for%20Citizens%20to%20Engage%20in%20EU%20Policymaking.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
28. Potemkina O.Yu. Conference on the Future of Europe: Results and Perspectives. Nauchno-analiticheskii vestnik IE RAN, 2022, no. 3 (27), pp. 7-13. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.15211/vestnikieran32022713
29. Raube K. From Dawn to Doom: the Institutionalization of the Spitzenkandidaten Process During European Elections and Its Final Negation. Kritzinger S., Plescia C., Raube K., Wilhelm J., Wouters J., eds. Assessing the 2019 European Parliament Elections. London, Routledge, 2020. 272 p. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367816926
30. Auel K., Tiemann G. Europeanising European Public Spheres. European Parliament. 2020. 150 p. DOI: 10.2861/795907
31. Guseletov B.P. Pan-European Political Space: from Idea to Reality. World Economy and International Relations, 2022, vol. 66, no. 6, pp. 91-101. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2022-66-6-91-101
32. Karintsev O.I. Elections to the European Parliament and the Problems of EU Reform. European Parliament Elections 2019: National Responses to the Challenges of European Integration. Kvashnin Yu.D., Kudryavtsev A.K., Plevako N.S., Schweitzer V.Ya., eds. Moscow, IMEMO, IE RAS, 2019, pp. 50-53. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.20542/978-5-9535-0559-8
33. Verger C. A Move Forwards Transnational Lists in 2024? Policy paper no. 279. Paris, The Jacques Delors Institute, 2022. 11 p. Available at: https://institutdelors.eu/en/publications/vers-des-listes-transnationales-en-2024/ (accessed 20.11.2022).
34. Van Parijs P. Transnational Lists in the European Parliament: Soon a Reality? The Brussels Times, 17.10.2022. Available at: https://www.brusselstimes.com/307268/transnational-lists-in-the-european-parliament-soon-a-reality (accessed 20.11.2022).
35. Johansson K.M., Raunio T. Shaping the EU’s Future? Europarties, European Parliament’s Political Groups and the Conference on the Future of Europe. Ahrens P. et al., eds. European Parliament’s Political Groups in Turbulent Times. Cham, Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics, 2022, pp. 173-197. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94012-6_8
36. Rodrigues M.-J., ed. Our European Future. Charting a Progressive Course in the World. London, Foundation for European Progressive Studies, London Publishing Partnership, 2021. 275 p.
37. Richard J.E. Transnational Lists the EU Council Must Deliver on the Will of EU Citizens. 03.05.2022. Available at: https://www.reneweuropegroup.eu/news/2022-05-03/transnational-lists-the-eu-council-must-deliver-on-the-will-of-eu-citizens (accessed 20.11.2022).
38. De Melo Ponce C. Renew Europe Leaders Pledge to Build the European Union of Tomorrow. 23.06.2022. Available at: https://www.reneweuropegroup.eu/news/2022-06-23/renew-europe-leaders-pledge-to-build-the-european-union-of-tomorrow (accessed 20.11.2022).
SOURCES
1. Treaty of European Union. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:11992M/TXT (accessed 20.11.2022).
2. The Single European Act. Available at: https://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_single_european_act-en-abd540f4-e8e6-4d11-8b67-f551892e2f1b.html (accessed 20.11.2022).
3. Public Opinion Monitoring at a Glance. European Parliament. June 2021. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/files/be-heard/eurobarometer/2020/covid19/en-public-opinion-in-the-time-of-covid19-202106.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
4. The 2019 Post-Electoral Survey – Have European Elections Entered a New Dimension? Eurobarometer Survey 91.5 of the European Parliament. A Public Opinion Monitoring Study. European Parliament. 2019. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/files/be-heard/eurobarometer/2019/post-election-survey-2019-complete-results/report/en-post-election-survey-2019-report.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
5. Report on the Final Outcome. Conference on the Future of Europe. May 2022. Available at: https://futureu.europa.eu/en/pages/reporting?locale=en (accessed 20.12.2022).
6. Public Hearing “European Public Sphere: the Role of European Political Parties and the Challenges of Social Platforms”. European Parliament 2019–2024. Committee on Constitutional Affairs. 26.01.2022. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/244185/Draft%20programme.pdf (accessed 20.11.2022).
7. A Stronger More Democratic and Ready to Act Europe. 11.05.2022. Available at: https://www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/news/a-stronger-more-democratic-and-ready-to-act-europe (accessed 20.11.2022).
8. PES: Meaningful Change Should Follow the Conference on the Future of Europe. 15.06.2022. Available at: https://pes.eu/future-europe/pes-meaningful-change-must-follow-conference-on-the-future-of-europe/ (accessed 20.11.2022).
9. Parliament Calls Council Empower Voters Second Ballot Paper European Elections. 05.03.2022. Available at: https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/newsroom/parliament-calls-council-empower-voters-second-ballot-paper-european-elections (accessed 20.11.2022).
10. ALDE Will Rejoin Spitzenkandidaten and Parliamentary Democracy. June 2022. Available at: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/aldeparty/pages/5809/attachments/original/1654364000/010_-_ALDE_will_Rejoin_Spitzenkandidaten_and_Parliamentary_Democracy_%281%29.pdf?1654364000 (accessed 20.11.2022).
11. Highlights of the 35th European Green Party Council. 08.06.2022. Available at: https://europeangreens.eu/news/highlights-35th-european-green-party-council (accessed 20.11.2022).
12. EU Electoral Law: EU Parliament Calls for European Electoral Lists. 03.05.2022. Available at: https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/article/press/eu-electoral-law-eu-parliament-calls-for-european-electoral-lists (accessed 20.11.2022).
13. Conference on the Future of Europe: Bilans. 12.05.2022. Available at: https://www.european-left.org/conference-on-the-future-of-europe-bilans/ (accessed 20.11.2022).
14. The Future EU Must Be Social, Ecological and Democratic – COFOE. 10.05.2022. Available at: https://left.eu/the-future-eu-must-be-social-ecological-democratic-cofoe/ (accessed 20.11.2022).
15. Antwerp Declaration – June 2022. 23.06.2022. Available at: https://www.id-party.eu/antwerp_declaration (accessed 20.11.2022).
16. European Parliament’s Proposal Goes Against the Multinational Character of the European Elections. 03.05.2022. Available at: https://ecrgroup.eu/article/european_parliaments_proposal_goes_against_the_multinational_character_of_t (accessed 20.11.2022).
No comments