European Institutions, National Parties, and the Development of European Parties: What is Revealed in the Debates concerning the Payments of 2001 and 2003?

The relevance of supranational parties in European political life constitutes a growing concern for experts and researchers. This article concentrates on the financing and functions of European parties, through an institutional analysis of the 2001 and 2003 remittances. The analysis will show how the European institutions allowed considerable advances in financing levels, which in turn prevented progress of the function, for example, of electoral representation. In addition, the analysis allows the evaluation of the attitudes of various institutional actors, the moderation and refinement of the thesis of 'trust in national parties,' and the confirmation of the prevalence of the partisanship and representation deficit within the EU. Adapted from the source document.