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51 J. Common Mkt. Stud. 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/jcmks51 and id is 1 raw text is: JCMS 2013 Volume 51. Number 1. pp. 1-16 Euroscepticism as a Persistent Phenomenon* SIMON USHERWOODi and NICK STARTIN2 1 University of Surrey. 2 University of the West of England Abstract In the two decades since the emergence of the European Union at Maastricht there has been a concerted attempt to build a European political space, typified by the debates on constitutionaliza- tion and democratization. Much less noticed, but no less important, has been the mobilization of publics, interest groups and political parties against the integration process. In the light of the failure to realize the Laeken objectives, the stabilization of an anti-integration bloc in the European Parliament, recurrent 'no' votes in national referendums and the emergence of an increasingly co-ordinated movement of critical interest groups, it is argued in this article that this opposition has become embedded and persistent, at both European and national levels. This will have considerable consequences for the Union itself and the way it has chosen to largely ignore sceptical voices to date. Introduction Over the last two decades the EU has attempted to build a European political space as exemplified by the debates on constitutionalization and democratization. In recent years - in particular since the introduction of the Lisbon Treaty - the European integration process has been increasingly beset by obstacles, partly as the Union has been forced to face up to significant opposition to closer integration: the recent, piecemeal approach to reforming economic governance with the European Stability Mechanism and the Fiscal Compact typify the overall lack of strategic vision. This opposition - most commonly labelled 'Euroscepticism' - has been exemplified by the EU's failure to realize the Laeken objec- tives of bringing the Union closer to the people and of definitively allocating competences between European and national levels, the stabilization of an anti-integration bloc in the European Parliament (EP), recurrent 'no' votes in national referendums and the emer- gence of an increasingly co-ordinated movement of critical interest groups. Opposition to the EU has become increasingly embedded both at European and national levels, and highlights the urgent need for the EU to engage constructively with dissenting voices and to consider alternative views about paths towards further European integration. This situation has become more critical as a result of the global economic and financial crisis and the continuing eurozone crisis, as well as prospective enlargements towards the Western Balkans, Iceland and potentially Turkey. These developments have not only helped to further undermine citizen support for the EU, but have also led to significant policy implications for both the EU and its Member States. Challenges to free movement * Earlier versions of this article were presented at the First Workshop of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies Collaboration Research Network on Euroscepticism, University of Surrey, July 2011, and at the Univer- sity Association of Contemporary European Studies 41st Annual Conference, Cambridge, September 2011. Many thanks are due to all those involved in the discussions and refereeing that made this article and special issue possible, notably Oliver Daddow and Michael Holmes for their work at a JCMS workshop in February 2012. © 2012 The Author(s) JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5965.2012.02297.x

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