Political groups in the European parliament

This thesis deals with the political groups in the European parliament which gather the members of the Parliament on the basis of their party affiliation. The aim of the thesis is to answer the question if the political groups in the European parliament function as the political parties, while the subjects of the study were the groups which hold the longest tradition in the Parliament -- European People's Party Group, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left. The aim was achieved through the definiton of the political party, the analysis of the legislature dealing with the political groups and the consequent application of the theretical knowledge to the current practice of functionning of the political groups. On the basis of the conclusions made in the last chapter it is possible to state that the political groups perform the functions of the political groups within the Parliament, however with the reservations which are primary based on the particularities of the european poltical system. In particular the heterogeneity of views of members and disunity of the procedure of elections to the European Parliament is criticised.