Based on the example of the Polish delegation to the European Parliament, the book examines the factors influencing the cohesion and stability of EP national delegations. It takes into account the impact of institutional arrangements such as the electoral law and the candidate selection process, the ideological and programmatic profiles of political parties, the career paths of MEPs, affiliation to political groups in the EP, group switching, as well as the significance of Euroscepticism and national divisions transferred to the European level. It is not a typical case study, as the regularities discovered through the in-depth analysis of the Polish national delegation are compared with those characteristic of other national delegations in the EP. The book fills a gap in studies devoted to the EP, in which the importance of national delegations has not so far been the subject of thorough analyses.

Presents the relationship between the national and European levels of politics in a new light Redefines the phenomenon of stability and cohesion of national delegations to the European Parliament Highlights a wide range of topics relating to the appointment, selection and activities of MEPs

Autorentext

Krzysztof Zuba is a professor of political sciences. He is the head of European Study chair in the Institute of Political Science and Administration, University of Opole. His areas of research include: Politics in Poland, religion and politics, European integration. He is the author and editor of eight books.

Inhalt
1: Introduction (Krzysztof Zuba).- Part 1. Determinants of stability and cohesion.- 2: Social determinants (Robert Geisler).- 3: Selection and election (Anna Paczeniak).- 4: Euro-sceptics and cohesion of the Polish delegation (Anna Paczeniak).- 5: Career paths (Krzysztof Zuba).- Part 2. Stability of the delegation.- 6: Political stability (Baej Choro).- 7: Membership stability (Krzysztof Zuba).- 8: Group switching (Krzysztof Zuba).- Part 3. Cohesion of the delegation.- 9: Ideological and political cohesion (Aleksandra Trzcieliska-Polus, Kamil Weber).- 10: Voting cohesion (Micha Niebylski).- 11: Parliamentary questions (Aleksandra Trzcieliska-Polus, Kamil Weber).- Conclusion 12. Conclusion (Krzysztof Zuba).