EU Support for Political Parties

Political parties are a fundamental part of functioning democracies, as they are tasked with translating the needs and opinions of citizens into policy. All established democracies have a multi-party system in which different parties gather around an ideology and develop a comprehensive socio-economic programme. Political parties are a necessary instrument for broad political participation and a mechanism for deciding trade-offs between various policy options – having assertive political parties in opposition ensures governmental accountability.

The EU is founded on democratic principles and promotes them as an intrinsic value, both internally and in its external relations. Democracy is understood as a representative, multi-party system in which decision-makers are directly or indirectly accountable to citizens.

Despite their central function, political parties do not play a major role in EU democracy support programmes. In this regard, ENoP will
hereby be arguing in favour of increased support for political parties in partner countries. While support for civil society organisations
and other seemingly politically neutral actors is important, this alone does not suffice to support the construction and consolidation of
a functioning multi-party democracy. Due to their unique role in democratic society, political parties cannot be neglected if support
for democracy is to deliver sustainable results.

This discussion paper will explore three specific functions of political parties and how these functions can be fostered. Firstly, it will demonstrate how parties are complementary to civil society and how bridging efforts can be made. Secondly, the paper will explain how policy and ideology must be at the centre of party support schemes. Thirdly, the paper will argue that internal democracy within the parties prepares future political leaders for democratic politics.

ENoP members are strategically placed to contribute to this process. Not only have they acquired decades of experience in democracy support and civic education in Europe, they also have a longstanding presence in partner countries all over the world, working with both political parties and civil society organisations. This paper aims at sharing that experience in order to shed light on the central functions of political parties, in consolidated as well as in emerging democracies. ENoP will thereby seek to contribute to an articulated view on the role and function of political parties, and to present them as essential partners in effective democracy support.