The Impact of the EU on the Czech Party System

The text focuses on the impact of European integration on Czech party system. European integration has undoubtedly influenced Czech political parties, but the influence has neither been destabilizing nor instrumental in the formation of new parties. European issues, both in terms of support for joining the EU and in relation to attitudes about the desired speed of European integration, have mapped on to the dominant left-right cleavage in Czech politics. This covariance works at the mass level, but it does not at the level of party elites.