Are they finally talking about European Politics? Analysis of the issues discussed by the parties in the 2019 EP election as signs of politicization

Abstract

Recent studies point to a progressive politicization of the European Union, after years of being considered a project of the political elites that received little attention from European citizens. The aim of this article is to find evidence of the progress in the process of politicization of the European project. For this purpose, an analysis of all the tweets published during the 2019 election campaign by all political parties in Germany, France, Italy and Spain has been carried out. The topics addressed and the number of parties speaking on those topics are studied, in order to trace two of the elements necessary to consider an issue politicized: its visibility and the diversity of voices. The article addresses an issue that has been the subject of previous research using a new methodology and at a particularly relevant moment in history; the first elections held after Brexit. The research provides results that can be interpreted as evidence of a growing politicization of EU policy on issues such as climate or social policy.