Coming in from the Cold? Euroscepticism, Government Participation and Party Positions on Europe*

Taggart, Paul; Szczerbiak, Aleks

doi:10.1111/j.1468-5965.2012.02298.x

Cited by 83 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Hard Euroscepticism is basically the fundamental opposition to European integration and therefore the call for withdrawal from EU membership. Soft Eurosceptic parties, on the other hand, consider the EU as problematic because of policies pursued at that level that diverge strongly from their preferences (Szczerbiak & Taggart ; Taggart & Szczerbiak; ; Taggart & Szczerbiak ). To distinguish between hard and soft Euroscepticism is certainly instructive, as different types of Eurosceptic parties exist – those opposing the idea of European integration as such and those who are critical towards specific EU policies.…”

Section: Stances Of Eurosceptic Parties On the Left And On The Rightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responding to the crisis: Eurosceptic parties of the left and right and their changing position towards the European Union

Braun

Popa

Schmitz

2019

European J Political Res

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At the time of the election of the European Parliament (EP) in 2014, the European Union (EU) was heavily affected by a multifaceted crisis that had – and still has – far‐reaching implications for the political system of its member countries, but also for the European level of governance. Against the background of the strong Eurosceptic vote in the 2014 EP elections, this study aims to investigate in which way Eurosceptic parties of the left and the right respond to the multiple crises of the EU. Using data from the Euromanifesto Project from 2004/2009 and 2014, changes in the party positions towards the EU are analysed in the shadow of the multiple crises and the reasons thereof are explored. The findings show a general anti‐European shift among the two types of Eurosceptic parties. Nevertheless, the changes in the EU polity tone are not determined by issue‐based repercussions of the multiple crises, but by the EU‐related evaluation – the polity mood – of the national citizenry. For far‐right Eurosceptic parties, the shift is moderated by the level of public support for EU integration in their national environment. Among far‐left Eurosceptic parties, by contrast, it is moderated by the more specific public attitudes about the monetary union policy of the EU. Consequently, political parties when drafting their manifestos for EP elections are not so much guided by the objective severity of political problems or by the evaluations of these problems by the citizenry. What matters in the end is the link that citizens themselves are able to establish between the severity of political problems, on the one hand, and the responsibility of the EU for these problems on the other. This has important consequences for understanding of the nature and substance of political responsiveness within the EU system of multilevel governance.

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Section: Stances Of Eurosceptic Parties On the Left And On The Rightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responding to the crisis: Eurosceptic parties of the left and right and their changing position towards the European Union

Braun

Popa

Schmitz

2019

European J Political Res

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“…Indeed, it is worth underlining here the difference between rhetoric used at election time and reality. The illiberal Law and Justice Party, which led the Polish government from 2005 to 2007, employed a lot of anti‐federalist language and was critical of the liberal agenda of Brussels, but ‘in practice the government [of which it was the main party] supported large EU budgets, regional and agricultural policies, strong foreign, security and energy policies, and a strengthened Commission’ (Taggart and Szczerbiak, , p. 29). Such an observation helps to show both the apparent political hay which can be made by invoking European themes, but also that when confronted with the reality of government, for a state like Poland there is no good alternative to pooling sovereignty.…”

Section: Concluding Reflectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Money, Margins and the Motors of Politics: The EU and the Development of Party Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

Haughton

2013

J of Common Market Studies

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In line with expectations EU membership has only a limited impact on party politics in the new Member States of central and eastern Europe (CEE); even the economic crisis has not altered this level of impact. An examination of party positioning, party appeals and party competition indicates the EU plays the role of a boundary keeper, a reference point and a weapon to be invoked in domestic competition, particularly to lambast opponents for their incompetence, especially when it comes to the ability to access and manage EU funds. Underlying parties' stances on European integration are the deep‐rooted vulnerabilities which help explain why the CEE states recognize the necessity of co‐operation and a pooling of sovereignty at the European level.

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“…That does not mean however that their presence does not have any impact at all. They can have an effect at the national level, putting pressure on mainstream parties on European issues (see Startin in this issue, and Taggart and Szczerbiak, 2013) but also at the supranational level as I have argued here. Their presence and the roles they play in the EP should not only be seen as an obstacle to European integration but also as an asset for the EU.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

The roles of Eurosceptic Members of the European Parliament and their implications for the EU

Brack

2015

International Political Science Review

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The 2014 European elections demonstrated the scale and success of the EU's opponents. Radical and populist parties topped the polls in some countries while others gained parliamentary representation for the first time. At the same time, Euroscepticism has entered the mainstream, with an increase of anti-EU rhetoric among government parties and the European Conservative and Reformist group becoming the third largest party in the European Parliament. In this context, this article aims at analysing the strategies developed by Eurosceptics from the left, the right and the mainstream once elected to parliament but also at providing food for thought regarding the implications of an (increased) presence of Eurosceptic MEPs. It provides a typology of four roles played by Eurosceptics, showing the diversity of their strategies. It then argues that the presence of these dissenting voices might be an asset for the EU's legitimacy.

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Coming in from the Cold? Euroscepticism, Government Participation and Party Positions on Europe*

Cited by 83 publications

References 37 publications

Responding to the crisis: Eurosceptic parties of the left and right and their changing position towards the European Union

Responding to the crisis: Eurosceptic parties of the left and right and their changing position towards the European Union

Money, Margins and the Motors of Politics: The EU and the Development of Party Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

The roles of Eurosceptic Members of the European Parliament and their implications for the EU

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