The Greens/EFA's Strategic Approach to Climate and Security Issues : An interview study with 22 MEPs on policy positioning and strategic considerations through the lens of issue competition

This study examines the strategies of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament to uphold their climate agenda in response to geopolitical instability and the rise of the far right. Traditionally maintaining strong issue ownership of environmental and climate policies, recent developments have prompted the Greens/EFA to reassess their strategic approach to security and defence. Drawing on issue competition and policy agenda-setting theory, the theoretical framework extends Green-Pedersen’s (2019) issue incentive model – originally developed for mainstream parties in national contexts – to examine niche party behaviour at the European level. Based on 22 in-depth interviews with Members of the European Parliament, the study addresses the research question ‘Given the current political landscape marked by geopolitical instability and the rise of the far right, how are the Greens/EFA strategically reassessing their policy positioning on climate – in relation to security – to uphold their climate agenda’? By quantitatively and qualitatively analysing shifts in their policy positioning and strategic considerations, the findings indicate a broadening of the group’s issue profile, with energy and resource dependencies identified as critical interconnections between climate and security. Coalition building emerges as the primary strategy to uphold their climate agenda, particularly in response to the EPP’s interactions with the far right. By highlighting internal party dynamics and diverse national contexts, the study contributes to the broader theoretical literature on issue competition and niche party behaviour within multi-party systems.