This thesis examines the evolution of environmental issue
saliency and thematic artic-
ulation in the electoral manifestos of four mainstream
Europarties - the EPP, PES,
ALDE, and the EGP - across five European Parliament elections
between 2004 and
2024. Drawing on saliency and issue ownership theories, the
research investigates
how the prominence of green themes developed over time and how
parties differ in
articulating them. Utilizing a qualitative content analysis of
1,333 manually coded
quasi-sentences, the study identifies a substantial, though
non-linear, increase in envi-
ronmental saliency, reflecting a "mainstreaming" of the green
agenda. The findings
confirm the EGP’s dominant ownership of the green agenda while
revealing a thematic
convergence among all mainstream parties. Despite this
convergence, distinct ideo-
logical differences persist in how these policies are
articulated, particularly concerning
the balance between innovation and social justice. Ultimately,
the thesis contributes to
the literature on Europarty competition by providing a
systematic longitudinal analy-
sis of environmental discourse at the supranational party
level.