ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the European political elites shall be analysed. Political elites are defi ned as the occupants of the central political power positions; thus, they include particularly the members of governments and parliaments. The “European” political elites include the members of the nation-state governments who participate directly in European politics through the European Council, the members of the European Parliament and the Commissioners. While they are not politicians in the strict sense of the word, we include here also the members of the European Court of Justice because de facto they have contributed signifi cantly to the process of integration.
