Miejsce partii etnoregionalnych w procesie integracji europejskiej. Dystraktor czy katalizator
The role of ethno-regional parties in European integration. Is it a distractor or a catalyst?

Summary/Abstract: In the article, the author seeks to find what role regional parties should and can perform in the process of European integration. The significance of this question stems from the fact that regional parties tend to face reluctance from the political authorities and societies of “national-izing states.” In the introduction, the author shows how approach to regionalism changed in Europe in the mid-1980s, most prominently in the concept of “new regionalism.” He continues to describe the ongoing debate on what regional parties and their particular form, ethno-regional parties, are and the roles they perform in the political systems of contemporary European states. An example is also provided of the political rivalry in the region and the general principles gov-erning competition at the region level. The author believes that the insights into the functioning of regional party systems can be useful in analyzing socio-political processes, especially in Upper Silesia.

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