An end of Business as Usual? Romanian Party Politics and Europeanisation

Analyses of the impact of the European Union on party systems have proliferated in recent years, as the EU has gained increased influence over member states through successive treaty changes. However, the effects of the interaction between the EU and the domestic level on party politics have been widely contested. While some scholars observed little changes in areas such as party organisation, others have claimed that more subtle aspects of change remain under- or un-explored. Indirect EU impact, for example, has been less scrutinised in Europeanisation studies, even more so with regard to party systems. Although insulated from direct EU pressure, parties are crucial actors that shape both the domestic implementation of EU policies and the formulation of national policy preferences at EU level. This article looks at the impact of Europeanisation across six dimensions of party systems: policy / programmatic content; organisation; patterns of party competition; party-government relations; funding and transnational relations. It analyses the case of Romania and argues that EU impact upon the party system can be described as form without substance. Employing process tracing as a method of analysis, this paper looks at the evolution of party systems over both the pre-accession (1995-2006) and post-accession (2007-2010) periods and asks if, when, and how the EU has an impact on national party systems. It identifies the circumstances under which Europeanisation is most likely to penetrate national party systems and produce tangible and lasting changes. By adopting an in-depth approach, this article offers further insights into the development of party politics in the region and the relevance of EU membership for explaining domestic change or continuity.