ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the significance of the general changes for transnational party development by considering some of its thematic aspects within an historical perspective. The previous lack of political impact and restricted scope of transnational party co-operation is illustrated by the nature or the very lack of literature on the subject of both this activity and political parties and European integration in general. The same problem has been a subject of renewed political and academic debate during the 1970s as direct elections have drawn attention to the institutional deficiencies and the question of powers of the European Parliament. The influences on party European policies are referred through three categories of determinants which lie primarily within the arena of the national party frameworks: the party-traditional factor, the political-functional factor and the socio-political factor. Lastly, political-cultural' influences contained in the national environment form a background to the presentation or implementation of European policies.
