The EU demands the difficult balancing of a multiplicity of identities, while immigration flows bring new diversity to member states that challenge the maintenance of national identities. Using politician interview data from 14 EU countries plus Norway and Turkey, this paper examines party discourse on diversity, immigration, citizenship, and asylum in comparative perspective. I identify the similarities within and the contestation among views of different European political parties across Europe vis-à-vis the idea of diversity on the one hand, and immigration, citizenship and asylum on the other. I determine to what extent politician views on diversity allow for the development of a more inclusive immigration or citizenship policy preferences. I also test theoretical propositions of the Europeanization of political parties to see how the parties’ ideological background, geographic location (East - West), or government role might affect or interact with how they articulate their preferences for politics of identity.
