Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T23:20:35.927Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hard and Soft Euroscepticism in the European Parliament

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2020

Petr Kaniok  and
Magda Komínková
Petr Kaniok
Affiliation:
Department of International Relations and European Studies, Masaryk University, Jostova 10, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic. Email: [email protected]
Magda Komínková
Affiliation:
Department of International Relations and European Studies, Masaryk University, Jostova 10, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Euroscepticism has become a stable component of the European Parliament. But is there one distinct Euroscepticism in the European Parliament or do various types exist there? Departing from the widely accepted definitions of hard and soft Euroscepticism, we analysed the behaviour of Eurosceptical groups in the European Parliament in order to assess how they differ. Using data from parliamentary questions, we argue that there are substantial differences between these two groups. This suggests that hard and soft Euroscepticisms do not represent different degrees of one phenomenon, but instead refer to two fundamentally different stances towards European integration.

Type
Articles
Information
European Review , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , February 2022 , pp. 79 - 95
Copyright
© 2020 Academia Europaea

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benedetto, G (2008) Explaining the failure of Euroscepticism in the European Parliament. In Taggart, P and Szczerbiak, A (eds) Opposing Europe: The Comparative Party Politics of Euroscepticism, Volume 2: Comparative and Theoretical Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 127–150.Google Scholar
Brack, N (2012) Eurosceptics in the European Parliament: exit or voice? Journal of European Integration 34, 151–168, https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2012.641087.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brack, N (2015) The roles of Eurosceptic Members of the European Parliament and their implications for the EU. International Political Science Review 36(3), 337–350, https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512115571590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brack, N (2018) Opposing Europe in the European Parliament. Rebels and Radicals in the Chamber. London: Palgrave.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brack, N and Costa, O (2012) Euroscepticism within the EU institutions: Diverging Views of Europe. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Brack, N and Startin, N (2015) Introduction: Euroscepticism, from the margins to the mainstream. International Political Science Review 36(3), 239–249, https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512115577231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caiani, M and Guerra, S (eds) (2017) Euroscepticism, Democracy and the Media: Communicating Europe, Contesting Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conti, N (2003) Party Attitudes to European Integration: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Italian Case. SEI Working Paper No 70.Google Scholar
Conti, N (2018) National political elites, the EU, and the populist challenge. Politics 38(3), 361–377, https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395718777363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corbett, R, Jacobs, F and Shackleton, M (2011) The European Parliament, 8th Edn. UK: John Harper Publishing.Google Scholar
Crespy, A and Verschueren, N (2009) From Euroscepticism to resistance to European. integration: an interdisciplinary perspective. Perspective on European Politics and Society 10(3), 377–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahl, RA (1966) Political Oppositions in Western Democracies. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Dahl, RA (1971) Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Dahl, RA (1995) Demokracie a její kritici. Praha: Victoria Publishing.Google Scholar
Field, AP (2009) Discovering Statistics using SPSS: and Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll (Third Edition). London: Sage publications.Google Scholar
Finke, D (2014) Domestic-level parliamentary scrutiny and voting behaviour in the European Parliament. Government and Opposition 49(2), 207–231, https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2013.27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgibbon, J (2013) Citizens against Europe?: civil society and Eurosceptic protest in Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Journal of Common Market Studies 51(1), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2012.02302.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgibbon, J, Leruth, B and Startin, N (eds) (2016) Euroscepticism as a Transnational and Pan-European Phenomenon: The Emergence of a New Sphere of Opposition. Abingdon: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flood, C and Usherwood, S (2007) Ideological factors in party alignments on the EU: a comparison of three cases. In EUSA Tenth Biennial International Conference, Montreal, 17–19 May.Google Scholar
Fuchs, D, Magni-Berton, R and Roger, A (2009) Euroscepticism: images of Europe among mass publics and political elites. Opladen; Farmington Hills, MI: Barbara Budrich Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helms, L (2008) Parliamentary opposition and its alternatives in a transnational regime: the European Union in perspective. The Journal of Legislative Studies 14(1-2), 212–235, https://doi.org/10.1080/13572330801921208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hooghe, L and Marks, G (2009) A postfunctionalist theory of European integration: from permissive consensus to constraining dissensus. British Journal of Political Science 39(1), 1–23, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123408000409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ionescu, G and De Madariaga, I (1968) Opposition: Past and Present of a Political Institution. London: Watts.Google Scholar
Jensen, CB, Proksch, S-O and Slapin, JB (2013) Parliamentary questions, oversight, and national opposition status in the European Parliament. Legislative Studies Quarterly 38(2), 259–282, https://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12013.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judge, D and Earnshaw, D (2008) The European Parliament, 2nd Edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaniok, P (2012) Eurosceptics – enemies or a necessary part of European integration? Romanian Journal of Political Science 12(2), 29–52.Google Scholar
Kaniok, P and Hloušek, V (2018) Brexit outside of UK politics: the case of Czech Eurosceptics. European Politics & Society 19(5), 507–525, https://doi.org/10.1080/23745118.2018.1463841.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaniok, P and Hloušek, V (2019) Slow and big or say no to the devil: party-based Euroscepticism and the Future of EU Enlargement. In Góra, M, Styczynska, N, Zubek, M. Contestation of EU enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy: Actors, Arenas, Arguments, 1st Edn. Copenhagen: Djøf Publishing, pp. 133–158.Google Scholar
Kopecký, P and Mudde, C (2002) The two sides of Euroscepticism. Party positions on European integration in East Central Europe. European. Union Politics 3(3), 297–326, https://doi.org/10.1177/1465116502003003002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krouwel, APM and Abts, K (2007) Varieties of Euroscepticism and populist mobilization: transforming attitudes from mild Euroscepticism to harsh Eurocynicism. Acta Politica, 42(2-3), 252–270. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ap.5500187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kubát, M (2010) Politická opozice v teorii a středoevropské praxi: (vybrané otázky). Praha: Dokořán.Google Scholar
Leconte, C (2010) Understanding Euroscepticism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leruth, B, Startin, N and Usherwood, S (2017) The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism. New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mair, P (2007) Political opposition and the European Union. Government and Opposition 42(1), 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2007.00209.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mudde, C (2012) The comparative study of party-based Euroscepticism: the Sussex versus the North Carolina School. East European Politics 28(2), 193–202, https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2012.669735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mudde, C (2014) The far right in the 2014 European elections: of earthquakes, cartels and designer fascists. Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/05/30/the-far-right-in-the-2014-european-elections-of-earthquakes-cartels-and-designer-fascists/.Google Scholar
Navarro, J (2010) Questions in the European Parliament: What for?: Preliminary findings. Sciences Po Bordeaux: Spirit.Google Scholar
Neumayer, L (2008) Euroscepticism as a political label: the use of European Union issues in political competition in the new Member States. European Journal of Political Research 47, 135–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2007.00721.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pirro, ALP, Taggart, P and van Kessel, S (2018) The populist politics of Euroscepticism in times of crisis: comparative conclusions. Politics 38(3), 378–390, https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395718784704.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raunio, T (1996) Parliamentary questions in the European parliament: representation, information and control. Journal of Legislative Studies 2(4), 356. https://doi.org/10.1080/13572339608420492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rozenberg, O and Martin, S (2011) Questioning parliamentary questions. The Journal of Legislative Studies 17(3), 394–404, https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2011.595132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russo, F and Wiberg, M (2010) Parliamentary questioning in 17 European Parliaments: some steps towards comparison. Journal of Legislative Studies 16(2), 215–232, https://doi.org/10.1080/13572331003740115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sánchez de Dios, M and Wiberg, M (2011) Questioning in European Parliaments. The Journal of Legislative Studies 17(3), 354–367, https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2011.595129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sartori, G (1966) Opposition and control: problems and prospects. Government and Opposition 2, 149–154, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.1966.tb00368.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schapiro, L (1965) Foreword. Government and Opposition 1(1), 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.1965.tb00361.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sørensen, C (2008) Love Me, Love Me Not… A Typology of Public Euroscepticism. SEI Working Paper No 101/EPERN Working Paper No 19. https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=epern-working-paper-19.pdf&site=266.Google Scholar
Sozzi, F (2016) Electoral foundations of parliamentary questions: evidence from the European Parliament. Journal of Legislative Studies 22(3), 349–367, https://doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2016.1202650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Švecová, V (2010) European Parliament and its Supervisory Powers over the European Commission - an Excursion into Parliament’s Task to ensure Democratic Control over the Executive (Advanced Procedure). Brno: Masaryk University, Faculty of Law https://is.muni.cz/th/rbrqj/Veronika_Svecova_Rigorozni_prace_final.pdf.Google Scholar
Taggart, P (1998) A touchstone of dissent: Euroscepticism in contemporary Western European party systems. European Journal of Political Research 33(3), 363–368, https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.00387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taggart, P and Szczerbiak, A (2003) Theorising Party-Based Euroscepticism: Problems of Definition, Measurement and Causality. SEI Working Paper No 69.Google Scholar
Taggart, P and Szczerbiak, A (2008) Opposing Europe? The Comparative Party Politics of Euroscepticism. Comparative and Theoretical Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Topaloff, LK (2012) Political Parties and Euroscepticism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Usherwood, S and Startin, N (2013) Euroscepticism as a persistent phenomenon. Journal of Common Market Studies 51(1), 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2012.02297.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasilopoulou, S (2013) Continuity and change in the study of Euroscepticism: plus ça change? Journal of Common Market Studies 51(1), 153–168, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2012.02306.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Westlake, M (1994) A Modern Guide to the European Parliament. London: Pinter Publishers.Google Scholar
Whitaker, R and Lynch, P (2013) Rivalry on the right: the Conservatives, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the EU issue. British Politics 8(3), 285–312, https://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2012.29.Google Scholar
Wiberg, M (1994) Parliamentary Control in the Nordic Countries: Forms of Questioning and Behavioural Trends. Helsinki: Finnish Political Science Association.Google Scholar