To cite the article:
De Sio, Lorenzo, Emanuele, Vincenzo, & Maggini, Nicola. (2014 21). “Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue…”. On the twenty-eight separate European elections of 2014.
Abstract
The 2014 European Parliament elections were expected to mark a turning point in European politics, yet they largely confirmed long-standing patterns. This article examines the elections through four key dimensions—continuity in their second-order nature, emerging issue synchronization across countries, the rise of Euroscepticism, and the strategic role of parties in shaping electoral outcomes. While European issues played a more prominent role in some campaigns, the growing politicization of EU integration varied significantly across member states, with different parties framing the debate in distinct ways. Drawing on comparative analyses of the 28 EU countries, the article argues that rather than a single European election, the 2014 vote resulted in 28 separate national elections, each shaped by domestic party strategies and political dynamics. The findings suggest that a deeper understanding of party competition is essential to interpreting the evolving nature of European elections.