Paper Titles & Abstracts

This paper investigates existing interactions inside political groups in the European Parliament during the monthly group meetings in order to reveal the patterns of influence, inside the group, in the negotiations on legislative acts prior to the final vote in plenary. The underlying argument of this paper is that committees constitute the main EP arena where decisions are reached. These decisions are then replicated in the plenary vote through group mechanisms of voting alignment. Data gathered from group meetings and field observations indicate a pattern of exchanges and alignment of views, inside the group, with prior committee decisions, based on the input from rapporteurs and group coordinators from each specific committee. Findings show that the influence exerted by political groups is not externalised in the plenary sessions of the EP but rather internalised through group meetings and based on a position previously established and delineated by the Members in the committee.