Varieties of Euroscepticism

All opinion polls overwhelmingly point to the systematic weakening of popular support for the European Union. The success of many Eurosceptic parties in the May 2014 elections has only confirmed the polls. Although this surge was largely expected following the years of austerity triggered by the euro crisis, it was feared that these Eurosceptic parties could form some sort of large united faction in the newly-formed Parliament. However, such a faction did not materialize. To explain this, it is important to discuss the multiple Varieties of Euroscepticism. Although they share a similarly critical stance on the EU, many Eurosceptic parties do so for entirely divergent and incompatible reasons. Some parties oppose EU’s encroaching power of the nation state from the left, while others do from the right. Some are reformist-minded while others want a complete exit.

Is it appropriate to classify opposition to EU policies as “Eurosceptic” in the first place? Could that be akin to considering criticism of government policy at the national level as “anti-state”? Framing EU-criticisms as “Eurosceptic” may actually be dampening healthy debate about the future direction of the EU? Such questions are important to ask now as the European project reaches its post-crisis stage. Engaging with genuine public concerns, rather than dismissing them, should probably be an integral part of the process. This roundtable puts together various scholars of EU studies and comparative politics who have studied the EU policy debate in the context of some of the main national players in the European Union.