Inhaltsangabe1. Parties at the European Level and Research Question.- 1.1 The question of parties at the European level.- 1.2 Transnational parties in the EU.- 1.3 Research interest and question.- 1.4 Research design and method.- 2. Theoretical Background.- 2.1 New institutionalism.- 2.2 Parties as institutions and party change.- 2.3 Hypothesising about detachment and national party reactions.- 2.4 Conclusion.- 3. Setting the Scene: The European Parliament.- 3.1 The EP in the political system of the EU.- 3.1.1 The EP from the founding of the ECSC via the Treaties of Rome to the first direct elections.- 3.1.2 The EP from the first direct elections to the Single European Act.- 3.1.3 From the SEA to Maastricht.- 3.1.4 From Maastricht to Amsterdam.- 3.1.5 The EP post-Amsterdam.- 3.2 The EP as an institutional setting for party work.- 3.3 The EP - a new sort of parliament?.- 4. The Group of the Party of European Socialists.- 4.1 History and development.- 4.1.1 History until the founding of the ECSC.- 4.1.2 From the founding of the ECSC to the Hague Summit.- 4.1.3 From the Hague Summit to the first direct elections.- 4.1.4 From the first direct elections to the SEA.- 4.1.5 From the SEA to Maastricht.- 4.1.6 From Maastricht to the present.- 4.2 Organisational make-up.- 4.3 The Group of the PES - a detached entity.- 5. The SPD.- 5.1 The SPD - organisation and 'anarchy'.- 5.1.1 Panebianco's thoughts on the SPD.- 5.1.2 Is Panebianco right?.- 5.1.3 Expectations of the SPD in the EP.- 5.2 Relations between the SPD leadership and the SPD delegation.- 5.2.1 The European election 1994.- 5.2.2 The 1994 Bundestag election.- 5.2.3 The chancellor candidate question.- 5.2.4 The 1998 Bundestag election.- 5.2.4.1 Links between the SPD delegation in the EP and the Bundestag SPD group.- 5.2.5 Into government: the problem of multi-level co-ordination and hierarchy.- 5.2.6 The 1999 German presidency of the Council of Ministers.- 5.2.7 Policy-making in the SPD delegation.- 5.2.7.1 Economic and Monetary Union.- 5.2.7.2 Regional aid.- 5.2.7.3 Relations with Turkey.- 5.2.7.4 Institutional affairs.- 5.2.7.5 The 1996 discharge and the vote of confidence in the Commission.- 5.2.8 The 1999 European election.- 5.2.8.1 The selection procedure.- 5.2.8.2 The election.- 5.3 SPD in the group of the PES - a summary.- 6. The Labour Party.- 6.1 The Labour Party - organisation and change.- 6.1.1 Panebianco's thoughts on Labour.- 6.1.2 Towards a greater degree of institutionalisation?.- 6.1.3 Expectations of Labour in the EP.- 6.2 Relations between the Labour leadership and the EPLP.- 6.2.1 The 1994 European election.- 6.2.2 The EPLP and the election of Tony Blair as party leader.- 6.2.3 The EPLP and Clause 4.- 6.2.4 The 1997 general election.- 6.2.4.1 Links between the EPLP and the PLP.- 6.2.5 The introduction of the 'link system'.- 6.2.6 The code of conduct.- 6.2.7 The 1998 British Presidency of the Council of Ministers.- 6.2.8 Policy-making in the EPLP.- 6.2.8.1 Economic and Monetary Union.- 6.2.8.2 Agriculture and Agenda 2000: modulation.- 6.2.8.3 Issues relating to the internal market: workers' rights.- 6.2.8.4 Relations with Turkey.- 6.2.8.5 Institutional affairs.- 6.2.8.6 The 1996 discharge and the vote of confidence in the Commission.- 6.2.9 The 1999 European election.- 6.2.9.1 The selection procedure.- 6.2.9.2 The election.- 6.3 Labour in the group of the PES - a summary.- 7. Conclusions - Lessons for European Parties.- 7.1 The SPD and Labour in the group of the PES in the EP - a comparison.- 7.2 Suggestions for improvement.- 7.2.1 SPD.- 7.2.2 Labour.- 7.3 Is detachment legitimate?.- 7.4 Lessons for EU parties and the EU party system.