A series of bilateral treaties and agreements, the European Union membership of both Italy and Austria, and the abolition of border controls have—to date—failed to fully resolve the South Tyrol issue. The question of South Tyrol’s status remains significant for politicians on both sides of the Brenner Pass. This study examines the shifting balance of political forces in Austria and South Tyrol and its impact on party interactions. A crucial form of inter-party cooperation between politicians from South Tyrol and Austria is bilateral contact, involving an exchange of views on key issues. The Austrian People's Party and the South Tyrolean People's Party are jointly working to strengthen autonomy. The pinnacle of inter-party cooperation among Christian Democrats was the adoption of a joint program ahead of the May 26, 2019, EU elections. South Tyrol Freedom and the Freedom Party of Austria seek the region's return to Austria. A major achievement of inter-party contacts between right-wing populists was the election of South Tyrol Freedom politician Gudrun Kofler—running on the Freedom Party of Austria ticket—to the North Tyrol Landtag in 2022.
South Tyrol; Austria; Italy; Landtag; autonomy; separatism; inter-party cooperation
1. Alber E. (2017) South Tyrol’s Negotiated Autonomy. Treatises and Documents. № 78. PP. 41–58.
2. Atz H., Haller M., Pallaver G. (2019) Ethnische Differenzierung und soziale Schichtung in der Südtiroler Gesellschaft. Österreichische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft. № 48(3). PP.29
3. Achammer trifft Nehammer (2022) Available at: https://www.tageszeitung.it/2022/09/16/achammer-trifft-nehammer/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
4. Außenminister Sebastian Kurz zu Besuch in Bozen (2016) Available at: https://www.bmeia.gv.at/ministerium/presse/aktuelles/2016/04/aussenminister-sebastian-kurz-zu-besuch-in-bozen (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
5. Benedikter R. (2018) European Ethnic Pacification in a Nutshell: The South Tyrol Model. Euregio Atelier. PP. 29–47.
6. Bravo, Giorgia (2022) Available at: https://www.tageszeitung.it/2022/10/02/bravo-giorgia/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
7. Bundeskanzler Faymann: "Südtirol hat gute Argumente, die wir unterstützen" (2014) Available at: https://www.provinz.bz.it/news/de/rss.asp?news_action=4&news_article_id=448657 (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
8. Bundeskanzler Sebastian Kurz am 14. September in Südtirol (2018) Available at: https://www.svp.eu/de/bundeskanzler-sebastian-kurz-am-14-september-in-suedtirol--1-1499.html (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
9. Doppelpass: Süd-Tiroler-Freiheit-Politiker bei Hofer (2018) Available at: https://orf.at/v2/stories/2422026/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
10. Ergebnisse der Landtagswahlen seit 1948. Südtiroler Landtag. Available at: https://www.landtag-bz.org/de/ergebnisse-der-landtagswahlen-seit-1948 (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
11. Fragen an die Südtirol-Sprecher der im österreichischen Nationalrat vertretenen Parteien (2017) Available at: https://schuetzen.com/2017/10/05/fragen-an-die-suedtirol-sprecher-der-im-oesterreichischen-nationalrat-vertretenen-parteien/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
12. FPÖ für Schutzmacht (2017) Available at: https://www.tageszeitung.it/2017/03/05/fpoe-fuer-schutzmacht/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
13. Dabis A. (2014) The South Tyrolean Party System. Minority Research. № 17 PP. 33-52.
14. Knoll dankt Platter (2017) Available at: https://www.tageszeitung.it/2017/11/23/knoll-dankt-platter/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
15. Landeshauptmann Kompatscher in Wien: Arbeitsgespräch mit Kanzler Kern (2017) Available at: https://news.provinz.bz.it/de/news-archive/575236 (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
16. Panzano G. (2018) The Trembling of a Complex Regional Consociation: 2018 provincial election in south Tyrol. European Centre for Minority Issues. № 112. PP. 2-41.
17. Regierungsprogramm ÖVP-FPÖ 2017-2022. FPÖ. 16.12.2017. Available at: https://nfz.fpoe.at/fpo-ovp-regierungsprogramm-2017-2022/59887739 (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
18. Puschautz A. Thema Doppelpässe: Das schwierige Südtirol-Engagement der FPÖ (2018) Available at: https://kurier.at/politik/inland/thema-doppelpaesse-das-schwierige-suedtirol-engagement-der-fpoe/400147046 (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
19. Scantamburlo M. (2020) The 2018 South Tyrolean Election and the Consociational System of Democracy: Stability amidst Change? European Yearbook of Minority Issues Online. 17(1). PP. 212-232.
20. Schützenbund schreibt Außenminister Sebastian Kurz (2014) / Available at: https://schuetzen.com/2014/05/04/schuetzenbund-schreibt-aussenminister-sebastian-kurz/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
21. SVP-ÖVP-CSU: Gemeinsames Programm für EU-Wahl. SVP. 13.05.2019. Available at: https://www.svp.eu/de/svp-oevp-csu-gemeinsames-programm-fuer-eu-wahl-am-26-mai--1-1835.html (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
22. Thömmes A.L., Thomeczek J.P. (2019) Wo stehen die Parteien in Österreich? Eine Analyse der Parteiprogramme zur Nationalratswahl 2019. Internationale Politikanalyse Hiroshimastr. № 28.
23. Wahlprogramme Nationalratswahl (2024) Available at: https://www.behindertenrat.at/aktuelles/nationalratswahl-2024/wahlprogramme-nr-wahl-2024/ (date of appeal: 09.12.2025)
24. Shumilov M.M., Shmidt O.I. South Tyrol Issue as a Factor of Interstate Relations between Italy and Austria. Administrative Consulting. 2020;(6):64-81.