European Political Parties & Groups in the European Parliament

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African immigrants vault Spanish wall in Melilla
Around 100 African migrants successfully entered Europe by mounting a triple wall that divides the Spanish enclave Melilla from Morocco yesterday (17 September).

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LINKSDOSSIERS

European elections 2014: Different this time?
After the financial and sovereign debt crisis, state bailouts and budget cuts, the May 2014 European elections are expected to take the pulse of public confidence towards the European Union. For the first time, voters will also indirectly choose the next president of the European Commission, giving citizens a fresh chance to shape the future of Europe.

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INTERVIEWS

Banker: ‘Member states should handle rights to bank accounts’
The European Commission's proposals to give citizens the right to open a bank account are admirable, according to the European Banking Federation’s Eric Leenders, but there needs to be a clear distinction between opening accounts for economic migrants and opening accounts for social inclusion. He tells EurActiv that bank accounts for social inclusion purposes should be left within the determination of the member states.

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OPINIONS

New technologies are key to foster EU transparency and participation
The EU should make better use of new technologies to improve its democratic decision making, transparency and participation. This is key in an election year, at a time when the sense of trust among citizens in its institutions is at an all-time low, writes Marietje Schaake.

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Opinion | New Deal for Somalia is an important deal
Opinion | How to escape the intergenerational injustice trap in Europe's aging societies
BLOGS

Food for Thought: Mrs. Matvienko’s visit in Athens
These couple of days the Vice President of the Russian Federation Mrs. Valentina Matvienko is paying official visit to capital Athens. Her visit coin..

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VIDEOS

I. European political parties

A European political party is a type of political party organization operating transnationally in Europe. The EU recognizes such organizations and provides them with funding. According to the Treaty of Maastricht, political parties at European level are important as a factor for integration within the Union. They contribute to forming a European awareness and to expressing the political will of the citizens of the Union. European political parties are different from the Groups in the European Parliament; however, they are often affiliated with these Groups (which may be alliances of more than one European political party, or possibly alliances between parties and nominally independents).

Presently some European political parties that are eligible for European Parliament funding have been created, based on Europe-wide party alliances.

Some of them are already EurActors:

ALDE Party - Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe

Secretary General: Jacob MOROZA-RASMUSSEN

Address:

Rue Montoyer 31

1000 Brussels

E-mail: info@aldeparty.eu

European Green Party

Secretary General: Jacqueline CREMERS

Address:

31 Rue de Wiertz

1050 Brussels

Phone:+32 2 626 07 20

Fax:+32 2 626 07 29

E-mail: jacqueline.cremers@europeangreens.org

Party of European Socialists

Secretary General: Philip Cordery

Address:

Rue du Trône 98

1050 Brussels

E-mail: info@pes.org

II. Groups in the European Parliament

Political Groups in the European Parliament combine the MEPs from European political parties, informal European political blocs, and independents, into coalitions. Each group must consist of no less than 19 MEPs from at least 5 different EU Member States.

Each group appoints a "group co-ordinator", in charge with the task of deciding which way the group should vote in the Parliament, although no member is bound by this decision.

The Groups decide which issues will be dealt with at the Plenary session of the European Parliament, and can propose amendments to reports that are to be voted on.

Some of them are already EurActors: