Europeanization : the experience of Maltese political parties

Abstract

Europeanization is a term that has become increasingly used in the literature on EU policy-making to describe a process of change. However, there is as yet no definition that has proved acceptable to all, meaning that Europeanization as a concept has no precise or stable meaning, and thus, the usefulness of applying it as a systematic concept has at times been questioned. Europeanization of political parties is a field that has only recently begun to attract the attention of academics. Robert Ladrech proposed five areas that should serve as a useful guide in the investigation for Europeanization of political parties. These are programmatic change, patterns of party competition, relations beyond the national party system, organisational structure and party-government relations. The three major political parties in Malta - the Nationalist Party, the Malta Labour Party, and Alternattiva Demokratika (the green party) - have been undergoing a number of transformations ever since the EU became an issue in Maltese politics. These transformations have taken place both within the parties, as well as in how the parties approach each other. Consequently, such changes have also had an impact on the Maltese political system, where a number of possible indicators of change have emerged since Malta became an EU member. The question that emerges in light of all these changes is the degree to which this process of transformation can be described as Europeanization or as part of the continuous effort by political parties to improve their electoral performance.