The gradual, but striking increase in the European Parliament’s powers and competencies has also triggered a growth in the scholars’ interest in this institution. An important part of the literature has focused on the voting behaviour of MEPs and has tried to explain it through the lens of the principal/agent theory. From this perspective, MEPs are seen as "agents" representing "multiple principals" and having "divided loyalties" that oscillate between nationally-oriented pressures - coming from the national parties – and EU-oriented pressures – coming from the EP political groups. However, in presenting the MEPs in this way and by focusing solely on their voting behaviour, this part of the literature provides an incomplete picture of their role and of parliamentary practices in general. This study will attempt to move beyond this perspective by looking into how the MEPs’ various daily activities are organized and how they articulate with their work within their respective national party and within the European party federation to which they are affiliated. Rather than considering them as agents torn between opposite poles, this research seeks to identify the extent to which MEPs constitute a link between the two structures to which they belong and the motivations that determine their behavior. The study is based on interviews with members of the Romanian national delegation to the EP and tries to bring about new insights into the practices of MEPs, as well as into their broader contribution to the process of European integration.
