In this paper we have been searching for evidence of some impact of Europe on the Belgian party life. We did found some, but cannot say that the parties have been deeply influenced by the fact that Belgium belongs since the very beginning to the European union. The main reason for that is the very specific Belgian context: an original member of the EU in which the membership has never become a issue for public debate. Europeanization has no direct and visible effects on party strategies or party organization. For party ideology the picture is a bit more nuanced. Belgian parties have changed. Old cleavages have eroded. Some of these processes obviously occurred within the European context and might be explained – at least partly – as an effect of Europeanization. We have claimed that this is especially visible for the ethno-linguistic cleavage. The transformation of the meaning of autonomy and sovereignty by the European context, and the explicit recognition of regions by the European institutions, have reoriented the regionalist debates in Belgium. Regions are now regions in Europe. Regionalism is a mainstream ideology. The radicals have to be separatists. And even the separatists want to be independent in Europe.
Looking at the party organisation, we do find evidence of the fact that parties have to say something or – if they govern – do something in Europe. Yet the picture we get form our research is very much one of coincidence and personal influence. The number of MEPs in each Belgian party is low, and one or two of them can make a difference in a party.