ABSTRACT
The concluding chapter provides an overall appraisal of PES activity in the EU. It reviews both models of Europarty behaviour, arguing that the transnationalists, especially Ladrech, are overstating the case by suggesting that the PES shaped the agenda during the past ten years. However, the fact that the PES did have a degree of influence over the final Treaty of Amsterdam not only questions the sceptic literature but also highlights that the PES could build on this development in the future. To answer these questions, the chapter throws light on the ideological debate that took place within social democracy during the last ten years and highlights the pressures placed upon governments by holding office.
