The complex governance regime of the EU demands a difficult balancing of a multiplicity of identities, while migration flows bring new diversity that challenges the maintenance of traditional nation-states. Contemporary European political discourse on migration seems torn between international commitments to accept immigrants and domestic public opinion unwilling to grant benefits or rights to these. In this paper, we assess how preferences of migration are portrayed within political discourse and how political parties across Europe respond to EU-level policies and practices that aim to regulate the issue. Frames of reference employed by political parties can both bolster support for and be the most powerful break on convergence and imitation of policy within Europe, while trans-European networks could be important vehicles of change for preferences, allowing for an open-ended process of redefining the principles of inclusion and exclusion.
Relying on qualitative data, we investigate how domestic preferences on migration affect political parties’ willingness to engage in trans-European networks, as well as how complex European structures might affect their domestic policy preferences in 16 European countries – 14 members of the EU, plus Norway and Turkey as non-members. Based on systematic comparison, we identify the homogeneity vs. heterogeneity of and the consensus vs. contestation within Europe with regards to migration to assess the potential transformative power of trans-European networks. We introduce theoretical propositions on Europeanization to control for how ideological differences, old vs. new membership, or governmental role of the parties might affect their dynamic interactions with both trans-national networks and domestic preferences. As such, we assess whether national loyalties persist or transnational initiatives prevail. Our paper could thus provide a preliminary answer to what extent trans-European networks play a role in establishing common political preferences and to what extent references to European policies or norms result in changes in domestic strategies.
