This paper examines the role of political parties as the gatekeepers of legislative careers at both the national and European levels, through the selection of quality candidates for both the national and European parliaments. I focus on both the comparative principles of political party organization and national differences in EU involvement in order to yield a set of expectations for use in exploring which candidates are selected for which levels of representation. I then use these expectations to analyze differences in the composition of the European Parliament from selected key national parliaments. I then derive a set of key differences among MEP backgrounds, which I use to test the assumption that certain MEPs may have more of a sway in EU policymaking than others. A set of quantitative tests indicates that MEPs who possess key background and personal characteristics—particularly, advanced degrees and EU experience—are much more able to influence the course of EU legislation, through the soliciting of more legislative rapporteurships within their committees. In doing so, I illustrate not only that major differences in the profiles of MEPs and national MPs exist, but that these differences in candidate background and experience can have major consequences on the ability of MEPs to enact legislative change. This finding suggests that political parties should be more cognizant in drafting electoral lists about the outcome of their decisions. Far from a set of political pawns, legislators are the foot soldiers for representative democracy at both the national and EU levels. My findings imply that the current treatment of legislative candidacies at the EU level may mean that the voices of some European voters are being better represented than others.
