01397pab a2200169 454500008004000000100001800040245005100058260000900109300001300118362000800131520096700139650002301106650001501129650002801144700002101172773003401193180718b1999   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aKreppel, Amie  aCoalition formation in the European Parliament  c1999  ap.933-66  aDec  aThis article analyzes coalition formation within the European Parliament (EP) under the cooperation procedure through the analysis of a random sample of 100 roll call votes. The authors find that generally, coalitions form on the basis of ideology, not nationality, although they are able to identify some national groups that occasionally vote against the majority of their party group. More interestingly, they find that the political initiative within the EP belongs to the Left and that the majorities required at different stages affect not only the outcomes of votes but also the coalitions that will form. Finally, a slight variation is found in coalition building depending on the subject matter. On the basis of these findings, the authors suggest an alternative interpretation of the conflicts between the Council and EP based on an ideological conflict about more (EP) or less (Council) regulation, as opposed to more or less integration. - Reproduced  aEurope. Parliament  aParliament  aPolitics and government  aTsebelis, George  aComparative Political Studies