The Members of the European Parliament are often ignored by citizens and media. Their work is perceived as being far away from the citizens, as just another part of the opaque institutions of the European Union. Just as far away seems to be the national level, which the European parliamentarians have to keep in mind for their work as well as their further political career. Online communication on personal websites has the potential to address these problems since parliamentarians may present their work in depth. This study looks at the websites of Members of the European Parliament with a quantitative content analysis, with the themes of information, transparency and representation being in the focus. For this, a comparison with national parliamentarians is made. The results show that differences between political levels as well as national and ideological factors play a role when assessing how parliamentarians present themselves online.

European integration is progressing at an even more rapid rate. Accompanying this progress is an increasing debate about the institutional shape and legitimacy of this new political order. This debate is driven in part by conflicting values, and in part by uncertainty. This book addresses the question of parliamentary involvement in the emerging European political system by looking at both national and European levels of parliamentary representation. In doing this, it gives greaterattention to the role of national parliaments than is usual in discussions about democracy in the European Union.Based on interviews and surveys among members of parliament at the European level, and in eleven member states, it analyses the role of parliaments and parliamentarians, the linkages between national citizenry and the European level, and the problems and perspectives of institutional change. The book is provides analyses of the views from within concerning European integration and concentrates of three dimensions: the MPs themselves; their embeddedness in the process; and theirperspectives on institutional structures. These views from within offer new insights and answers to institutional problems in the European Union and the so-called democratic deficit.

Download PDF for free from: http://martenscentre.eu/publications/members-european-parliament-online-use-social-media-political-marketing The appearance of political marketing and campaigning on social media is a relatively new phenomenon, whose major advantages are seen in the rapid transportation of information through the Internet and the possibilities for large numbers of people to connect. This is especially significant for politics on the EU level, which embraces an electoral body of 375 million citizens. Despite the fact that not everyone uses the Internet in Europe, the percentage of those who do is considered to be high enough for its application in politics. In the context of the European Parliament and the constant fall in voter turnout, but also the growing use of Internet in the society, especially electoral campaigns, the goal of this paper is to examine the connection between European politics, Members of the European Parliament and the use of social media, and to give suggestions on how the use of social media in political marketing could be further advanced.

What purpose does the EU serve? Why and how was it set up? How does it work? What has it already achieved for its citizens, and what new challenges does it face today? In a globalised world, can the EU compete successfully with other major economies while maintaining its social standards? How can immigration be managed? What will Europe’s role be on the world stage in the years ahead? Where will the EU’s boundaries be drawn? And what future is there for the euro? These are just some of the questions explored by EU expert Pascal Fontaine in this 2017 edition of his popular booklet Europe in 12 lessons. Pascal Fontaine is a former assistant to Jean Monnet and former professor at the Institut d’Études Politiques, Paris.

The List of Members of the European Parliament, also known as the Grey List, is the full official listing of all MEPs, with information about: political group; political party; committees, sub-committees and delegations served on; substitutes; member state represented; place and date of birth; and contact details, including e-mail addresses. Other sections provide information on: the Office of the President; lists of abbreviations; the Secretariat; political groups; committees and their members; MEPs to the Joint Assembly of the Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union (ACP-EU); delegations to the EU joint parliamentary committees; and inter-parliamentary delegations and their members.

Indhold: Services for members of the European Economic and Social Committee ; The European Economic and Social Committee ; Information about the institutions