Continuity and change in party positions towards Europe in Italian parties: an examination of parties' manifestos

This paper analyses Italian parties' manifestos for national and European elections from 1979 to 1999 with the 'Wordscore' programme in order to gauge whether party positions with regard to the European Union have changed and whether the salience of the European Union has increased. Results indicate that, although there is no sign of increased salience, the leading Italian political parties have repositioned themselves in their attitudes towards the European Union, indicating that the European political space matters for national parties

Despite turmoil in the Austrian party system, the country might once again be heading for another grand coalition in September’s elections.

Austria will hold national elections on 29 September. Sylvia Kritzinger previews the vote and assesses the probable makeup of the next governing coalition. She notes that a series of scandals have hit the country’s major parties, with a number of new parties, such as Team Stronach, also emerging in the Austrian party system. While the opinion polls make accurate predictions problematic, however, the chances of another grand coalition between the Social and Christian Democrats remain fairly likely