European identity and European political parties

ABSTRACT

The legitimisation of European institutions tends to be a primary issue of debate in European identity politics. Following the expansion of the EU competencies and the growth of Eurosceptic forces, the attention gained by the democratic accountability of the European institutions should encourage reflections on the role assigned to the European political parties. Although it is impossible to equate the functioning of European democracy with national experiences, party politics remains an essential component of any democratic regime. This study is the first attempt to observe the engagement of European political organisations in promoting a collective European identity. To schematise the analysis, three ideal types are presented to illustrate different models of European identitarian attachment. The critical discourse analysis (CDA) and discourse-historical approach (DHA) from the manifestos of the European Christian-conservative, Socialist and Liberal parties have identified the activism of the parties in promoting divergent European identities, highlighting the intermediate role that European political parties could play in linking the European institutions with citizens.

KEYWORDS:

• European political parties
• European identity
• critical discourse analysis
• democratic legitimacy
• transnational democracy
• European Union studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author. 2012