Political discourses on Europe and European integration in national election manifestos and party programmes

Abstract

Through a textual analysis of national election manifestos, this paper critically discusses political parties' discourses towards Europe and European integration in three European Union (EU) member states: Germany, which has always promoted further integration; the United Kingdom, which has consistently been a keen supporter of intergovernmentalism; and finally the Netherlands, one of the original six and a willing, yet cautious, supporter of supranational cooperation. By analysing how political parties frame European integration in their discourses, we aim to investigate the variance in national political cultures with respect to identity and self-identification with Europe as a determining factor of support for the process. This paper concludes that although European integration is structured around a framework of interests in all the six party discourses under analysis, the construction of national identities and hence the articulation of national interest in EU membership as well as the visions for the political structure of the union varies significantly.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

¹ According to Karl Deutsch, we-feeling is an essential part of a sense of community which he defines as ‘a matter of mutual sympathy and loyalties; trust and mutual consideration; of partial identification in terms of self-images and interests; of mutually successful predictions of behaviour, and of co-operative action in accordance with it’ (Deutsch et al 1957, 36).

² See Tönnies (2001 [first published in 1887]) for a detailed discussion on the dichotomies of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Osman Sabri Kiratli

Osman Sabri Kiratli is an assistant professor in the International Trade Department of Bogazici University, Istanbul. His research areas include European integration, foreign policy-making, constructivist theory and International Political Economy. He has publications in various journals including European Integration Online Papers (EIOP) and Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. Email: [email protected]