Τα εθνικά πολιτικά κόμματα ως θεσμοί ολοκλήρωσης υπό το φως της νεολειτουργικής θεωρίας

Abstract

The paper argues that although neofunctional theory at the beginning considered political parties, both national and supranational, as important factors of integration, in the course of time it concentrated more on the role of interest groups and bureaucracies and underestimated the ultimately decisive role played by national parties in the course of European integration. Going back to the fundamental principles and concepts of the neofunctional theory we observe that Ernst Haas has devoted a large part of his initial research on European integration to the role of national parties as factors of European integration. When analyzing the main characteristics of a political community at supranational level, Haas noted that the Community sentiment is reinforced when national political parties endorse supranational action in preference to action