Status prawny frakcji politycznychw Parlamencie Europejskim

Abstract

The article analyses legal status and role of political groups in the European Parliament. It argues that legal status of political groups not only gives them an advantage over non-attached Members of the European Parliament (as is often argued), but also over other entities in this institution, such as parliamentary committees. An analysis of groups’ legal status and role provides better understanding of the way the EP operates. The article first offers conceptual reflections and then a comparative case study of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure in relation to legal status of political groups in certain parliaments in the EU Member States such as Poland. Subsequently, basing on a study of the European Court’s of Justice case law, the article illustrates problems of interpreting contentious issues within Rules of Procedure. The analysis of reports of the European Court of Auditors, on the other hand, captures the problem of groups’ legal and financial responsibility. Compared to other parliaments in Europe, political groups in the European Parliament seem to enjoy a large number of privileges that ensure their central position within the Parliament’s operation.