Political Groups in the European Parliament [Grupurile politice din Parlamentul European]

Besides the Bureau, the Conference of Presidents and the various standing, temporary or ad hoc Committees, political groups are one of the elements which make up the inner structure of the European Parliament. In this context, it is obvious that they play a particularly important role in the activities developed by this law-making body. So, the description of these groups, of the way in which they form, and the specific priorities of each of them are only some of the essential topics approached in this study. Moreover, as a member of the European Union, Romania has its own representatives in the European Parliament. Most of them are affiliated to the major political groups of the EP. And, it is precisely these political groups who establish the major issues to be discussed in the plenary, who examine the reports elaborated by the parliamentary committees, who propose amendments, and, when necessary, adopt a particular position depending on the result of consultations within the group, who ensure a representation which is balanced from an ideological, national, and gender-based point of view in the various structures of the PE, who appoint the members of the Committees, of Interparliamentary Delegations, of Working groups, etc. So, it is important to know how active the delegations of Romanian MEPs are, the viewpoints and the policies they support within their groups, and, mainly, the extent to which they manage to influence the decisions adopted when debates end.