The paper looks at interactions inside the European party groups in the European Parliament in the course of the monthly group meetings, in order to reveal existing patterns of influence in the negotiations on legislative acts inside the group, prior to the vote in the plenary. So far, studies on the legislative process in the European Parliament have focused on the importance of the final vote in the plenary sessions, while neglecting the role that the Committees play in reaching this step in the decision making process. Information gathered from the group meetings and field observations indicates a pattern of exchanges and alignment of views, inside the group, with the Committee decisions, based on the input from the rapporteurs and group coordinators from each of the specific Committees. Findings show that the influence exerted by the party groups is not externalised but rather internalised through group meetings, and based on a position previously established and delineated by the Members in the Committee. As a consequence, the research shows that the decision that is reached at Committee stage is replicated in the final votes of the plenary, where it is simply sanctioned by the House.
