Abstract
Abstract Parliamentary votes on foreign and security policy have often been demonstrations of patriotism and unity. This resonates with the notion that external relations are exempted from party politics, or that politics stops at the water's edge. Its supranational character makes the European Parliament (EP) a particularly interesting laboratory for subjecting this thesis to empirical scrutiny. Analyzing roll-call votes from 1979 to 2014, this article shows that group cohesion and coalition patterns are no different in external relations votes than in other issue areas. Members of the EP (MEPs) do not rally around a European Union flag, nor do MEPs vote as national blocs in votes on foreign and security policy, trade, and development aid. Based on statistical analyses and interviews with parliamentary civil servants, it concludes that the EP stands out by having party politics dominate all business, including external relations.
Highlights
Parliamentary votes on foreign and security policy have often been demonstrations of patriotism and national unity
Whether we examine party group cohesion or coalitions, the voting patterns hardly differ from overall votes
National interests appear no more prominent when external relations are on the plenary agenda, with party groups reaching similar levels of cohesion as in internal market votes
Summary
Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Raunio, T., & Wagner, W. External relations votes in the European parliament. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights
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