Euroscepticism in the EU Institutions: a persistent and embedded phenomenon
Résumé
The European Union (EU) is a political system in a state of quasi-permanent crisis, whose very existence is frequently questioned and in which the debate not only deals with the type of desired policies but also with how and at which territorial level decisions should be made. This chapter examines the diverging visions of Europe in the EU institutions and the tension between supranationalism and intergovernmentalism as well as Euroscepticism among EU actors. It discusses the results of the 2014 EP elections and the implications of the increased presence of Eurosceptics in Brussels for the EU. The chapter also shows that the increased number of Eurosceptics within EU institutions after the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections has contrasted implications: EU institutions have proven to be resilient to the presence of dissenting voices but nevertheless it has implications at the supranational as well as at the national levels.