(Extract from Simon Hix and Christopher Lord "Political Parties in
the EU." p84)
|
PES |
EPP |
| Government Minister |
12.0 |
10.6 |
| National Parliament |
25.5 |
30.2 |
| Local/Regional Government |
42.0 |
30.8 |
| Party Office |
22.9 |
21.4 |
| No previous political experience declared |
20.9 |
21.4 |
Source: European Parliament (1994a). Please note that the reliability of
the figures in this table depends upon MEPs providing the European Parliament
with an accurate and full account of their previous political experience.
The above table shows that few MPs arrive in the EP without a political
history. The overwhelming majority begin their careers in national politics and
have either held - or continue to hold - an elected position in a national
parliament or local or regional government. Many have also served on their
national party executive or as local party officials. There are even a few
present and former party leaders in the EP (Corbett et al., 1994, p53). The
overall picture implies a high level of connection with national political
parties. It also means that MEPs will be soaked in the assumptions and
collective memories of member state politics, which will in turn, colour their
approaches to particular left-right issues and to European integration in
general. The role of national or local party service as the main recruitment
criterion for MEPs has also been seen as contributing to the political
professionalisation of the EP: a condition in which fewer representatives have
rich lifetime experiences outside of politics. (Westlake, 1994a, p.105)