Immigration and political competition in five European countries : a comparative perspective

Since the last three decades, immigration is one of the major phenomena that have been affecting Western Europe, bringing about several important consequences. Indeed, the issue is plenty of implications, both from a societal and political point of view. Does the immigration issue occupy a central position in the European political system? Even in years in which economic questions captured much of the attention of the principal actors (the institutions, political parties, media and public opinion), does this issue remain a constant presence on the public agenda? It should not of course be excluded that the economic crisis and the concerns linked to it, though not completely overshadowing immigration, may have contributed to changing in part its significance, reshaping the definition of the problem in the eyes of the actors. The paper intends to explore the dynamics that immigration has triggered inside the political system. First, we will examine some data and interpretations of the orientations of public opinion. Secondly, we will analyze the policy offerings that political parties formulate in response to the questions posed by public opinion, related to the issue of immigration. To this end, we will examine the principal electoral programs presented by major political parties for the general elections of five countries (France, Greece, Netherlands: 2012; Italy, Germany: 2013), with a focus on the attention received by the specific issue of irregular immigration and the question of the human rights.