Political parties at European level - Europarties - do not only seek to be represented in the EU institutions (office-seeking) or to strengthen their role in the EP elections (vote-seeking). They also try to colour the politics and policies of the Union through the dissemination of ideas and the promotion of values linked to their political ideologies. In contrast to the political groups in the EP, until recently Europarties lacked the resources to do so. However, the recent creation and funding of European political foundations affiliated to Europarties has been seen as a chance to provide them with the necessary tools to become more policy-oriented. No less than nine political foundations are currently active in Brussels and beyond, and the total EU grant available for 2010 amounts to more than six million euro. This paper investigates European political foundations empirically and comparatively, based on the study of primary resources and semi-structured interviews, alongside existing research.The topic is addressed through a focus on the establishment of European political foundations, their organisation, their ''transnational'' character (as networks of national political foundations) and the way(s) in which they try to influence EU policy-making. This paper will shed light on one of the most recent innovations in the development of Europarties and thus contribute to a new research agenda on their role in EU decision-making. IF NOT ACCEPTED, PLEASE REFER OUR PROPOSAL TO PANEL ''Network-based Knowledge and Policy Advisors in Europe'' IN THE OPEN SECTION. THANK YOU.
