Immigration and Integration Policy in Europe

The role of political parties in immigration control and integration policy in Europe is underestimated, and parties on the centre-right are particularly important and interesting in this respect. They make up many European governments and therefore help determine state and EU policy. Moreover, even before the rise of the populist radical right, immigration and integration were matters of genuine ideological and practical concern for Europe’s market liberal, conservative and Christian Democratic parties. Exploiting such issues for electoral gain may make superficial sense, but too hard a line risks alienating their supporters in business and in civil society, as well as undermining party unity. It is a difficult balance, but one that makes a big difference both to the parties involved and the public policies they help produce. This volume brings together experts on both migration and political parties – fields that have not always interacted as much as they could or should have done – in order to study the impacts, dilemmas and trade-offs involved.

1. Turning round the telescope. Centre-right parties and immigration and integration policy in Europe Tim Bale 2. ‘Il rombo dei cannoni? Immigration and the centre-right in Italy’ Andrew Geddes 3. Going different ways? Right-wing parties and the immigrant issue in Denmark and Sweden Christoffer Green-Pedersen and Pontus Odmalm 4. Politicising Migration: Opportunity or Liability for the Centre-Right in Germany? - Christina Boswell and Dan Hough 5. A Double-Edged Sword! The Dutch Centre-Right and the 'Foreigners-Issue' Kees van Kersbergen and André Krouwel 6. Restrictive Rhetoric: Centre-Right Parties and Immigration Policy in the UK and Ireland Julie Smith 7. Nicolas Sarkozy and the politics of French immigration policy Sally Marthaler 8. Immigration and the transnational European centre-right: a common programmatic response? Fraser Duncan and Steven van Hecke 9. Conclusion Tim Bale 10. Commentary Martin Schain