All for One, and One for All? Analysing Party Positions on EU Solidarity in Germany in Challenging Times

Abstract

This article analyses party positions on European Union (EU) solidarity in Germany in the run-up to the 2021 German federal elections. While previous studies have investigated whether and under which conditions individuals support or reject different types of EU solidarity, little is known about how political parties position themselves on the issue. The study draws on an original expert survey on German party positions, including various items on EU solidarity. First, we demonstrate that the GAL–TAN dimension strongly shapes party positionings on EU solidarity. Second, the support by political parties varies along the long- or short-term institutionalization of types of EU solidarity. Third, the findings have political implications for the current German government coalition, revealing potential problems for a joint political agenda on EU affairs.

Cleavage theory meets gender equality: examining party positions in Germany

“…This party expert survey incorporates known survey items from an earlier expert survey by Benoit and Laver (2006) as well as some new ones, including various items on gender policies. The survey encompasses topics on issues like the climate, economy, migration, COVID-19, minority rights, and the EU (see also Jankowski et al, 2022;Reinl & Wallaschek, 2024). iii Experts were asked to position eight political parties -the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), Free Democratic Party (FDP), Free Voters (FW), Alliance 90/The Greens, The Left, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) -in relation to the survey items.…”