(Photo: European Parliament,Flickr)

What is the future for political parties in Europe?

31st March 2010
Time to be confirmed
London Metropolitan University, 31 Jewry Street London EC3N 2EY

Part of the European Alternatives ‘Future of Representation’ Series, in partnership with the Federal Trust and supported by the European Parliament.

Political parties are undergoing a crisis of membership in many European countries, including in particular the UK, just at the time when European political parties are trying to establish themselves. Yet parties still seem to be crucial components of a functioning democracy. What is the future for political parties in Europe? Can European political parties seize the chance to define a new kind of party that is better suited to contemporary forms of political engagement, which often take place outside of ‘formal’ political institutions, and what new means of participation can they define?

Confirmed speakers:

Brendan Donnelly, Federal Trust
John Palmer, former ‘Europe’ editor of the Guardian
Henning Meyer, editor of Social Europe journal

Draft Agenda:

Opening analysis: The crisis of political parties: an analysis

Table 1:
European political parties: their evolution, their problems and their potential for innovation as new kinds of political parties

In what ways have European political parties developed since the beginning of the EU, and what new opportunities does the Lisbon Treaty give to them to become more important public players in European politics? In what ways can European political parties innovate in finding new ways to connect with citizens.

Table 2:
New Modes of involvement

What new modes of political engagement are available to political parties, particularly in the UK context? What are some of the limitations of participative models, and what is the balance that should be struck between participation and representation?

Table 3:
The Media and European political parties

In what ways do the media and political parties need to find new ways of collaborating to build a revived political demos? How is this possible at a European level?

Related content on our site

Hear interviews from our Berlin conference on this same topic in December 2010