The European Parliament has political 'families' not parties in the strange terminology used by Europeans within their distorted mirror universe. The use of language clearly differentiates the Union institutions from national democracies. Parties are the instruments of national interest, families are the consensual partnerships of Union interest.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy recently criticised the plan of the major groupings (not 'families') in the European Parliament to elect leaders who, if obtaining a majority, would obtain the Presidency of the European Commission. The link between the Parliment and the Commission would become explicit with a Prime Ministerial model. Van Rompuy also rejected direcet election of the European Council President.
The institutions of the European Union are capable of potential democratisation. And the Parliamentarians wish to grope towards this model. Of note is the opposition received from the European Council and, by inference, the national governments who do not wish to gift the Parliemant more influence than they have already received.