The Europeanization of political parties: influencing the regulations on political finance

Europe does matter for political parties because of the impact of its rules, directives and norms into the domestic sphere. Drawing on new evidence, this paper sheds light on largely hidden aspects of the Europeanization of political parties and argues that the legal framework regulating party funding has been directly affected by this process. Political parties in EU candidate countries and the member states of the Council of Europe have become the target of stricter regulations in order to combat political corruption. The way in which external agencies have influenced the regulations on the funding of political parties is analysed. The article illustrates how political parties gain in importance in the context of the EU accession process and associated anti-corruption reforms. The influence of Europeanization on party funding regulations has been particularly important in the cases of Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as Turkey and the Balkan countries that have declared their intention of joining the EU.