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Towards a deeper eMU
Juha Jokela FIIa BrIeFING paper 140 • October 2013
U L KO P O L I I T T I N EN INS T I T U U T T I
U T R I K E S P O L I T I S K A INS T I T U T E T
THE F I N N I S H I N S T I T U T E OF I N T E R N AT I O N A L AFFA IR S
140
aN assessMeNT oF polITIcal
dIvIsIoNs wIThIN The eU
• The extraordinarypolitical decisions taken to tackle thefinancial and economic crisis, and toreformandreinforcetheEMUhaveopenedupsomeoldwoundsandcreatednewpoliticaldividinglinesintheEU.
• TheEUhaswitnessed the re-emergenceof thenorth-southdivideas akeymarkerofdistinctpolitical and economic visions and imperativeswithin theEU.At the same time, thedivisionbetweentheeastandwestisdiminishing.
• Theimportanceofthepoliticaldividing linebetweeneuroandnon-euroEUmembershasalsoincreased,yetitisnotclearlydefined.Theunevenburden-sharingbetweeneuroandnon-eurocountriesinprovidingfinancialmeanstotacklethecrisisis,however,shapingthecontoursofEUpolitics.
• Despite the British reluctance to join the current political processes propelling a deepereconomic integration,nootherprofoundpreconditions for theEU’s futuredevelopmenthavebeenestablishedbythememberstates.YetthedepthofthereinforcedEMU iscurrentlyunderconsiderationinmanymemberstates.
• ThestrengtheningofthepopulistandEuroscepticpoliticalmovementshasledtotheresurrectionof the anti-EU andpro-EU political dividing line inmanymember states.This is increasinglyreflectedattheEUlevel,andmightconstraintheEU’sfuturedevelopment.
Towards a deeper eMU
FIIA Briefing Paper 140
October 2013
aN assessMeNT oF polITIcal dIvIsIoNs wIThIN The eU
The European Union research programme
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs
U L KO P O L I I T T I N EN INS T I T U U T T I
U T R I K E S P O L I T I S K A INS T I T U T E T
THE F I N N I S H I N S T I T U T E OF I N T E R N AT I O N A L AFFA IR S
Juha Jokela
Programme Director
The Finnish Institute of International Affairs
J A N E a n d A ATO S
ERKKO FOUNDATION
PO Box 144, 00101 Helsinki, FINLAND
JANE OCH AATOS
ERKKOS STIFTELSE
PB 144, 00101 Helsingfors, FINLAND
The FINNIsh INsTITUTe oF INTerNaTIoNal aFFaIrs 3
Introduction
Policymakers, observers and the media havereferredtoavastnumberofdivisionsincrisis-tornEurope.TheEUisdividedbetweennorthandsouthor creditors anddebtors. Somehave emphasisedthe emerged division between anti-EU and pro-EU forces. Significantly, these divisions are alsomanifestedwithintheeurozone,intheformofthecurrentdifferencesbetweentheFrenchandGermanviews,andtheincreasingroleofthepopulistmove-mentsinmanyeurocountries.Yetothershavehigh-lightedtheboundarybetweentheeurozoneandtherestoftheEU,andsuggestedthattheeurocountriesnowformthecoreoftheUnion.Relatedly,someofthenon-euromembersaredistancingthemselvesfromtheEU–mostnotablytheUK–whilemanyothersaimtosecuretheir influenceintheUnion,evenifeuromembershipmayhavebeenputonthebackburner.
The objective of this briefing paper is to analyzetheseEuropeanpoliticaldivisionsinthelightoftheextraordinarycrisisdecisionsandplanstofurtherreformtheEconomicandMonetaryUnion(EMU).ThepaperarguesthatdespitetheBritishreluctancetojointhecurrentpoliticalprocessespropellingadeepereconomicandpoliticalintegration,nootherprofound red lines orpreconditions for theEU’sfuturedevelopmenthavebeenestablishedbythemember states. As the latter have demonstratedtheirwillandabilitytosidelinetheUK,theongoingprocessesareconstrainedbyalackofsupportfromtheEuropeanelectorates.
Still united in diversity?
ThedeepeningofEuropeanintegrationhasalwaysresultedintensionsamongEuropeanUnionmem-berstates.TheplantoestablishaEuropeandefencecommunityinthe1950seventuallycollapsedduetoFrenchopposition.Inthe1980s,theUKagreedupontheformationofthesinglemarket,buthesitatedtomove towards a deeper economic andmonetaryunion,andresistedstepstakentowardsapoliticalunion.IntheprocessleadinguptotheMaastrichtTreatyandtheestablishmentoftheEuropeanUnion,thememberstatesagreedtoretaincontrolovertheireconomicpolicies.Allofthem,withtheexceptionoftheUKandDenmark,however,agreedtotrans-fertheirmonetarypoliciestotheEUovertime;yet
FranceandGermanyclashedoverthenatureofthemonetary union in the making.While GermanypushedforamonetarypolicysetbyanindependentEuropeanCentralBank(ECB),theFrenchwantedtoseeadegreeofpoliticaldiscretionovertheECB.1Thetreaty-basedopt-outs,andtemporalvariationinjoiningthefinalstageoftheEMU,ledtoargumentssuggestingatemporaldividebetweenatwo-speedEUorthemorepermanentoneofatwo-tierEurope.
Relatedly,memberstateshaveoccupieddifferentpositionsvis-à-visEUenlargement.Thoseinfavourof deepening the process expressed reservationstowardstherapidexpansionoftheEUinthe2000s.A substantiallygreaternumberofmemberswereabletolimittheirabilitytosteertheEuropeanpro-jecttowardsan“evercloserUnion”,andgeartheprocess towardsasomewhat“looserUnion”pro-motedbytheUK.ThisreasoningfindssomesupportinthegeneralproblemsrelatedtotheeffectivenessofEUdecision-makingandtherecognizedneedtostreamlinetheUnionbeforeandafterthe2004/07enlargement.TheenlargingEU–withits15memberstates and 13 candidate countries – neverthelessmanagedtoagreeuponamajorreformoftheEU,namelytheConstitutionalTreaty,signedinRomein2004.However,twofoundingmembersoftheEU–FranceandtheNetherlands–whichdecidedtoputthetreatytoareferendum,resultinginitsrejectionin2005,ultimatelywreckedtheratificationprocess.
Since then, theroadmaps fordeeper integrationhave faced some significanthurdles and exposeddiverseopinionsandpoliticalcleavagesamongthememberstatesaswellastheEUinstitutions.WhilemostoftheinnovationsoftheConstitutionalTreatywereincorporatedinoneformoranotherintotheensuingLisbonTreaty,theabsenceofpoliticalunityamong thememberstateshascontributed to thesenseofadisunitedEU.ThishasalsobeenreflectedintheimplementationoftheLisbonTreatyandtheensuinginter-institutionaldebaclesandinfamousturfwarsinBrussels.
Concurrently,theEUwashitbytheglobalfinancialcrisis,whichmanifested itself inEuropethrough
1 Formoreonthis,seeErikJones2012,Bringing Stability
to Europe: Why Europe needs a banking union,FIIA
BriefingPaper117.Availableathttp://www.fiia.fi/en/
publication/295/.
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banking and sovereign debt crises that rapidlydestabilizedthemonetaryunion.Theextraordinarypolitical decisions taken to tackle the crisis andreformandreinforcetheEMUhaveopenedupsomeoldwoundsandcreatednewpoliticaldividinglinesintheUnion.Insodoing,theso-calledeurocrisisturnedintoapoliticalone,potentiallythreateningtheEuropeanproject.AsthePresidentoftheEuro-peanCouncil,HermanvonRompuynotedin2011:theEUwasfacinganexistentialcrisis.
Resurrection of the north-south divide
Therecentyearsofmultiplecriseshavewitnessedthere-emergenceofthenorth-southdivideasthemost significantmarker of distinct political andeconomicvisionsandimperativeswithintheEU.Atthesametime,thedivisionbetweeneastandwestornewandoldmembershasdiminished.Eveniftheeasternenlargementisamilestoneinthepost-ColdWarunificationofEurope,thenewcomerschangedthe political dynamics of the EU. Their entryimpactedtheallocationoffundsundertheCommonAgriculturalPolicy,theEU’sStructuralFundsandtheCohesionPolicy,whilethelowerlabourcostshad an impact on the economicdynamics of theUnion.
In terms of the EU’s foreign policy, the newestmembers’transatlanticinclinationsandcomplica-tionswithRussia furtherchallengedcommonEUpositionsandpoliciesinthisfield.Thepeakofthisdivisionoccurredontheeveoftheenlargementin2003.TheUSaspirationstowagewaronIraqprovedto be a highly divisive issue for Europeans. Con-sequently,theUSreferredtothe“old”and“newEurope”asakeymarkerinEuropeanforeignpolicy.
Theongoingfinancialandeconomiccrisishas,how-ever,re-directedthefocusawayfromtheeast-westdivisiontowardsthenorth-southdivision.Impor-tantly,themainchallengesrelatedtotheeconomicandpoliticalfutureoftheEUhavenotoriginatedfrom the new member states but from the oldones.Althoughthenewestmembershavealsobeenseverelyhitbythecrisis,therelativelysmallersizeoftheirfinancialsectorsandeconomiesingeneralhas not led to similarmarket speculation on theposedsystemicrisks,ashasbeenthecasewiththesouthernEUeconomies,IrelandandtosomeextenttheUK.Moreover,manyofthem,suchasthenewest
euromembersEstonia(2011)andLatvia(2014),havebeenabletoaccommodatethemselvestothecrisisandarecurrentlyrecoveringfromit.Againstthisbackground,thecurrentkeymarkerofdifferenceintheEU,intermsofdistincteconomicandpoliticalimperatives, isarguedtobetheoneofnorthandsouth.
Onagenerallevel,thekeyboundarybetweennorthand south is based on national economic indica-tors and a political system’s stability and abilitytodeliveraccordingly.Importantly,thesuggestedgeographicboundarybetweennorthandsouthismisleadingbecausesoundeconomicandpoliticalperformancevariesovertimeandspace,astheshiftfromtheeast-westtonorth-southdivisionsuggests.Importantly,theongoingcrisishasalsochangedthekeyfeaturesofthisdivide.
Untilthecurrentcrisis,wealthierEUmemberswerewillingtoshowanarguablyremarkabledegreeofsolidaritywiththeirlesswell-offneighboursinthesouthandeast.Thisresultedfromacombinationofself-interestandtrustinpositivedevelopment.2Inreturn,wealthiereconomiesgainedregionaleco-nomicandpoliticalstability,whichwasimportantfortheireconomicexpansion.Thecurrentcrisishasdramaticallyaltered this featureof theEuropeanproject.ThericherEUmembers’powerandinflu-enceoverthepooreroneshasincreasedasaresultofdecisionstakentostabilizethesinglecurrency.
The strict conditionality of the rescue loan pro-grammes (also extended to theECB’sOMT bond-buying programme) as well as the increasedsurveillancepowersoftheEuropeanCommissionovernationaleconomies,andsemi-automaticsanc-tionsrelatedtothe failureto followtighterfiscalrules,havebeenseentoempowerthehealthyeuroeconomiesinthechangingEuropeaneconomicgov-ernancesystem.Accordingly,theso-calledcredi-tor countries are dominating theEU’s economicdecision-making,whilethedebtorcountrieshave
2 FedericoSteinberg2013,A New Union of Creditors and
Debtors,RealInstitutoElcanoExpertComment19/2013,El-
cano:Madrid.SeealsoMicheleComelli2012,Creditor vs
debtor countries in the EU: a problem of legitimacy,Aspe-
niaonline,availableathttps://www.aspeninstitute.it/aspe-
nia-online.
The FINNIsh INsTITUTe oF INTerNaTIoNal aFFaIrs 5
littleoptionbuttofollowpoliciespushedthroughbythecreditors.
Importantly, the creditor-debtor divide is mostconcretely manifested within the current euro-zone.First,non-euromembershaveoptedoutofthe loan programmes initially agreed bilaterallyand then within the established stability funds.Whilenon-euroEUmembersdoparticipateintheprogrammesthroughtheirIMFcontributions,andsomehaveprovidedbilateralassistance,suchastheUKinthecaseofIreland,thefinancialburdenoftheloanprogrammeshaspredominantlyfallenonthewell-performing euro economies. Similarly, theconditionality,increasedmacro-economicsurveil-lanceandconsolidatedfiscalrulesapplyfirstandforemostwithintheeuroarea,andtheirimpactonnationaleconomieshasbeengreatestintheweakesteuroeconomies.AlsothefactthatsomeotherpartsofthestrengthenedEUeconomicgovernanceonlypartiallyapplybeyondtheeuroarea,directsatten-tiontotheassumeddividinglinebetweentheeuroareaandrestoftheEU.3
3 Thecrisisfunds(i.e.thetemporaryEuropeanFinancialSta-
bilityFacilityandthepermanentEuropeanStabilityMecha-
nism)werefoundedbytheeurocountriesandtheyareonly
opentothem.Thetwo-packlegislationenhancingestab-
lishedeconomiccooperationprocessesandclarifyingproce-
duresfordealingwithcountriesthatareinseveredifficulties
onlyaffecttheeurocountries.Thesix-packlegislationwhich,
togetherwiththeEuropeaneconomicsemester,formsthe
backboneoftheincreasedEU-levelmacro-economiccoor-
dinationconcernsallEUmembers,yettheeuromembersare
subjecttotighterrulesandsemi-automaticsanctions.The
so-calledFiscalCompact(TreatyonStability,Coordination
andGovernance)wassignedbyallEUmembersexceptthe
UKandtheCzechRepublic,yetitisbindingforthenon-eu-
rosignatoriesonlywhentheyjointhesinglecurrency,unless
theydecidetodeclareitbindingbeforehand.TheinitialEuro
PlusPact,wasjoinedbysixnon-euromembers.Themostre-
centdevelopmentsrelatedtothebankingunion(SingleSu-
pervisoryMechanismandSingleResolutionMechanism)are
opentoallEUmembers,yettheyarelikelytoadvancefirstin
termsoftheeuroarea.Thisthemewillbefurtherelucidated
inforthcomingpublicationsinthisBriefingPaperseries.
Consolidation of a two-tier EU?
Therecentyearsofcrisishaveunderlinedthedivi-sionbetweentheeurozoneandtherestoftheEU.TheEuropeanprojectiscurrentlyseentoadvancelargely in termsof consolidating and reinforcingtheEMU. Inthisrespect, theeurozoneandcredi-torcountrieshaveassumedpoliticalleadership,yetthey hold different views on the speed, depthandgovernancestructuresofthereinforcedEMU.However,atthesametimethantheeurocountriesaremoreorlesseagerlyacceleratingtheirpaceinmoving towards deeper integration, someof thenon-euro countries are searching for the brakepedal. Consequently, the level of differentiationbetweentheeuroareaandrestoftheEUisarguablyincreasing,andpotentiallydevelopingintoamorepermanentfeatureoftheEuropeanproject.
Thepoliticaldividing linebetweeneuroandnon-euroEUmembersisnot,however,clearlydefined.YetsomeoftheconcernsrelatedtoitaresignificantfortheEU’sfuturedevelopment.
Themacro-economicpolicyimperativeswithintheeuroareahavediverged.Itwashopedthatthevic-toryofsocialistFrançoisHollandeinFrancewouldresultinarelaxationofthetighteconomicpolicyfavouredbyGermanyonstabilizingtheeuroandresolvingtheEU’seconomiccrisis.Thesehopeshavelargelyprovedtobepremature,however,andthelandslidevictoryofAngelaMerkel’sCDU/CSUhasfurtherreinforcedthepolicyoffiscalconsolidationandstructuralreformswithintheeuroarea.
Moreover, the centre-right parties in the eurocountriesseemtoshareamorecommonEuropeanpoliticalagendathanthecentre-leftparties.Thesepartiesaredividedontheissueofsolidarityintheeuroarea.Whereas thecentre-leftparties in thedebtor countries would like to see a significantincrease incommonburden-sharing in resolvingthecrisis,andreformingtheEMU,theleftistpar-tiesinthecreditorcountriesoftenhesitatetotakefurthersteps to increase joint liabilitiesorassignsignificantlygreaterfundstojobsandgrowthpro-ductionbeyondtheirnationalborders.
Moreover, theeuroareahascontinuedenlargingduring the years of crisis. Estonia joined in 2011,andLatviaisjoiningin2014.Theprincipleofopen-ness of the thirdphaseof theEMU consequently
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remainsvalid,yettheongoingreformsmightleadtotighterentrycriteria.Furthermore,theoverallobjectivethatallEUmemberstateswhichdonothaveatreaty-basedopt-outwilljoinovertimehasnot changed,yet inpracticemorepermanentdefacto“opt-outs”canbeenvisaged.Thesearemainlyrelated todomesticpolitical constraints, such asthosewitnessed in Sweden,which rejected euromembershipinareferendumin2003.Assuch,theycannotbedeemedtoprevailovertime.Theassess-mentofthesuccessandbenefitsassociatedwiththesinglecurrencymightchangeinduecourseamongEuropeangovernmentsandelectorates.
Importantly, the governments of the non-euroEUmembershavevoiced theiraspirationsnot tobesidelined intheEU.Even ifPoland iscarefullyweighing the economic costs of euro member-ship,ithashoweveremphasizeditsdedicationtotheEU and the singlecurrency. Indeed, the ideaofenhanced“associatedmembership”oftheeuroareawashighlightedinWarsawduringthePolishEUPresidency.4ThePresidencywasseenatleastpartlydisadvantagedbytheEuroGroup’spowerfulposi-tioninECOFIN,yetthisCouncilconfigurationwasformallychairedbyPoland.
At the same time,Denmark’sEU policy is underreview and observers have identified an increas-ingDanish interest in re-considering theDanishopt-outssecuredintheEUtreaties.DenmarkandSweden, among other non-euromembers, haveexaminedtheimpactandpotentialbenefitsofthefirst phase of the banking union, and they havenot ruled out participation in the future if therepresentationofnon-euromembersissecuredtotheirsatisfaction.Finally,andassuggestedearlier,non-euromembersarealsoparticipatinginsomeelementsoftheenhancedmacro-economicsurveil-lanceprocesses.
Nevertheless,thefactthatthenon-eurocountriesdonotsharethefinancialburdenoftheEuropeanStability Mechanism or the ECB’s bond-buyingprogrammes has been reflected in their relativepowerandinfluenceintheongoingprocesses.Thishashadasignificantimpactonthemindsetofthe
4 PawelSwiebodaandRyszardPetru2012,“Associated mem-
bership”: Anchoring the pre-ins in the Eurozone,demo-
sEUROPA–CentreforEuropeanStrategy:Warsaw.
EUdecision-makersinthecreditorcountries.Theadvicedispensedbynon-eurocountriessuchastheUKonhowtomanagethecrisisandrespondtothebroaderEuropeanandglobalconcernsofthe“eurocrisis”hasbeengreetedwithfrustrationandannoy-anceinthecreditorcountries.France,forinstance,hassuggestedthatinsteadofgivingadvicetheUKismorethanwelcometosharethefinancialburdenofthecrisisorotherwisekeepitsmouthshut.Asimilarlogicseemstobehinderingtheestablishmentofthebankingunion,whichisopentonon-eurocountriesaswell.Theirworriesrelatedtotheirrepresentationintherelevantdecision-makingsystemshavebeennoted,yetthefulldecisionpowersarereservedforthosewho also carry thefinancial burdenof thenewmechanismsandwhoarefullyincorporatedintheemergingEMUgovernancestructures;inotherwords,theeurocountries.
Relatedly, ithasbeensuggested that thedeepen-ingeuroareamighthaveabroader impactonEUdecision-making.Theenvisageddeeperintegrationof the euro countriesmay lead to the increasingconvergenceof their interests inotherEU policyareasaswell,suchasregulationrelatedtothesinglemarket.5AsaresultofthepotentiallymoreunifiedEuro Group’s powerful position in the EU law-making system, thepolitical dynamics of theEUmightchangedirectionandstartworkingagainstthenon-eurocountries.Todate, theresponse tothesereservationshasbeenratherstraightforward.TheroadmaptoadeeperandgenuineEMUempha-sizesthatthesinglecurrencyremainsopenforallEUmemberstojoin,andinsodoingtheywouldsecurearoleinthedecision-making.
Moreover, there is also very little evidence of apotential spill-over effect of the Euro Group’sinterestsacrossdifferentEUpolicyfields.Theinter-estsoftheeuroareaseemtobedivergingintermsofthedevelopmentofthesinglemarketsandtheEU’ssocialdimension,forinstance.Moreover,theEuroGroupisnotunanimouslybehindthefinancialtransactiontaxproposal,whichiscurrentlybeingpushedforwardwithintheenhancedcooperationmechanism.Whatismore,theapplicationofthisdecision-makingmechanismrequirestheconsentofallmemberstates.
5 Grant,Charles2012,“Athree-tierEUputssinglemarketat
risk”,The Financial Times,26October.
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Against thisbackground,themostsignificantriftbetween the eurozone and non-euro countriesseemstooriginatefromtheUK,anditstraditionalreluctancetomovetowardsan“evercloserUnion”.Inthepast,theUKhasplayedanimportantroleasoneofthekeyarchitectsofEuropeanintegrationbyreducingthespeedofintegrationandsecuringspecialarrangements.TheLabourParty’sreturntopowerin1997gearedtheBritishEUpolicytowardsamoreconstructivepath.ItemergedasakeyplayerintheestablishmentoftheCFSP,theCSDPandtheenlargementpolicy. Even thoughPrimeMinisterTonyBlaircommittedtheUKtotheConstitutionalTreaty, his Chancellor and successor GordonBrownstymiedBlair’s ambition toconsidereuromembership.
TheEU’s currentcrisishas,however, servedasacatalystwhenitcomestoalienatingtheUK fromtheEU.Theinclusionofthepro-EuropeanLiberalDemocraticPartywasinitiallyexpectedtobalancetheEurosceptictendenciesoftheleadingConserva-tivePartyinthecoalitiongovernment.
However,thecurrentUKgovernmenthasinitiatedseveral interrelatedprocessesaimedatestablish-inganewsettlementwiththeEU.First,itpushedthrough legislationmaking any transfer of pow-ers fromthenational to theEU levelsubject toanationalreferendum.Second,theUKgovernmenthaslaunchedaso-calledbalanceofcompetencesreview aimed at analyzing in detail the impactof theEU on sectoralpolicyareas in theUK.ThereviewwillconstitutethebackboneoftheUKgov-ernment’s aspiration to advance the subsidiarityprinciple and repatriate powers from Brussels.Third,PrimeMinisterDavidCameronhaspromisedtonegotiateanewsettlementwiththeEU,whichwillbeput to theBritishpeople in the formofareferendumwithasimple“yes”or“no”questiononstayingintheEUunderthenewpactorleavingtheUnionaltogether.ThismostrecentturnintheUK’sEUpolicyisclearlylinkedtothecrisisandtheresultingdevelopments.
Therecentyearsoffinancial,economicandpoliticalturmoilintheEUhaveempoweredtheEuroscepticforces in Britain in general and in the Conserva-tivePartyinparticular.PrimeMinisterCameron’spolicy rationale is related to themanagement ofthese forceswithin andoutsidehisparty,whichis increasingly losing ground to thepopulist and
EuroscepticUK Independence Party (UKIP). Ontheotherhand,theUKhasclearlybeensidelinedintheEU.TheEUmembers’decisiontonullifytheBritishvetobysettinguptheso-calledFiscalCom-pact as an intergovernmental treaty outside, yetcloselyconnectedto,theEUframework,marksanimportantdevelopmentrelatedtothecurrentcrisis.ItsuggeststhattheEUispreparedtomoveaheadwithorwithouttheUK.Relatedly,theUKhasbeenincreasinglyconcernedaboutthepoliticalweightoftheeuroareaanditslargesteconomiesintheEU.
Finally,theroadmapstoadeeperandgenuineEMUenvisageatreatychangeatleastinthemid-termperspective,whichwould arguably enablePrimeMinisterCameronandtheUKtohaveasayinthefuturedirectionoftheEUaswellasnegotiateanewsettlement.
ThesuccessofCameron’saspirationsisinquestion.Inordertofulfilhispromises,heneedstopersuadeotherEUmembers to engage in a treaty change,concurwithhisvision–whichseemstoberatherfarremovedfromthatofotherEUmembers–andsecureavictoryinthenextgeneralelectionintheUK in2015.WhilethePrimeMinisterhimselfhassuggestedthathebelievesthattheUKbelongsintheEU,manyhavequestionedhisabilitytomanagetheprocessandsecureapositiveoutcome in thereferendum.Todate,Cameron’saspirationshavegarnered very little supportwithin the EU. Cur-rently,thereseemstobescantappetiteforatreatyreformamongthememberstates,particularlythemajoroneenvisagedbyCameron.
Itisnoteworthythatthereseemstoberatherlim-itedsupportfortheUK’saspirationevenamongitstraditionalpartnersintheEU,yettheNetherlandshasalsoflaggedup thecompetencequestionandGermanChancellorAngelaMerkel has suggestedduringherelectioncampaignthatthetimeisripetoconsiderwhethertheEUcouldgivesomethingback to the member states. Both Germany andtheNetherlandsare,however,deeplycommittedtotheEMUreforms,andtheyhavenotarguedforanymajoroverhaulofthecurrentEUsystem,otherthanreinforcingtheEMUasenvisagedintheplansapprovedbytheEuropeanCouncil.Itremainstobeseen,therefore,whetheracompromisethatwouldsatisfytheUKgovernmentandtheelectoratewillemerge.
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Euroscepticism is dead. Long live Euroscepticism!
PopulistandEuroscepticpoliticalmovementshavebeenontheriseintheEUmemberstatesduringthefinancialandeconomiccrisis.Whiletheirpoliticalpowerbaseandobjectivesarediverse,theysharesomecommonalities. Inshort,manyof themareanti-EUandanti-immigration.There-emergenceoftheEuroscepticpopulistmovementsinseveralEUmemberstateshasbeenlargelyseentoreflectEuropeanelectorates’dissatisfactionwiththeEU,aswell as the increasingly limited capabilities ofnationalgovernmentstomanagetheireconomiesinthelightofdeepenedEuropeanintegrationandglobalisation.Theanti-immigrationtendenciesofmanyofthesemovementshavealsocontributedtotheperceptionthattheyareintentuponreversingtheEuropeanprojectandglobalisation,andrestor-ingnationalsovereignty.Suchelementsinthecur-rentwaveofEuroscepticpopulismvaryovertimeandspace,however.
TheUKhasoftenbeenseenasthehomeofdistinctlyEuroscepticmovementsintheEU,whichhavenotebbed away since the polarized national debateson joining theEU.The anti-immigration tenden-ciesoftheUKmovementshaveincreasedinrecentyears.InmanycontinentalEUcountriessuchastheNetherlands, France andDenmark, the immigra-tiondebatehasbeenacharacteristicoftheriseofpopulistmovements,whichhavealsoprovidedahavenforEurosceptics.InsomeEUcountriessuchas Finland, the emergence of a major Euroscep-ticpopulistpartyhasbeen fuelledby theprotestmentalities highlighted by theEU crisis and theunpopularFinnishcontributiontotherescueloanprogrammes.Thepartyhas also given a voice topopularanti-immigrationpersonalities.
Theresurrectionoftheanti-EUandpro-EUpoliti-caldividinglineinseveraloldEUmemberstatesisasignificantdevelopmentwhichislikelytoshapetheEU’sfuturedevelopmenttosomeextent.Thesemovementsarealso increasinglyoperating trans-nationally,whichmayservetoincreasetheirpowerbaseinthefuture.ThechairoftheFinnsParty(pre-viouslytheTrueFinnsParty)isawell-knownfigureintheUK,forinstance,wherehehasparticipatedasaguestspeaker intheConservativePartyCon-ferenceaswellasatUKIPevents.AsaformerMEP,heiswell-networkedandinvolvedinthecurrentmobilizationofpopulistpartiesandmovementsin
Europe in the lightof the approachingEuropeanParliamentelections.
WhileEuroscepticismappearstounitethemajorityofthepopulistmovementsinEurope,theirabilitytoformaunitedfrontinEUpoliticsisindoubt.
First,duetotheEUmemberstates’electoralandpoliticalsystemsitisratherunlikelythatpopulistpartieswouldbeabletotakecontroloverseveralmember states’governments.Thosewhomake itintotheirnationalgovernmentswillbeconstrainedbypoliticalresponsibilityandcoalitionpartners.
Second,evenifthepopulistpartiesareontheroadtoalandslidevictoryinthenextEuropeanParlia-mentelections,theirabilitytoworktowardsajointpoliticalagendaorformacoherentpoliticalgrouporgroupingsintheParliamentislikelytoproveratherdifficultgiventheirdifferentpoliticalobjectives.
Finally, the populist and distinctive Euroscepticmovementshaveexpandedparticularlyinthecredi-torcountriesandintheUK.Inthedebtorcountries,thepoliticalprotestshavebeenchannelledthroughlooseanti-globalizationmovementsaswellastheradicalleftandextremeright.ThestancethatthesemovementsadoptonthecrisisandthecurrentplanstodeepenEuropean integrationdrawonaratherdifferentpoliticalmilieuthanthatfoundinpopulistmovementsinthecreditorcountries.Concurrently,thecentre-rightandcentre-leftpartiesseemtobeincreasinglybetterpreparedtofacethechallengeof political protest andpopulism.Yetdissatisfac-tion among the EU member states’ electoratescannotbeoverlooked.Theyearsofcrisis, relatedextraordinarydevelopmentsandcurrentplansfordeepereconomicintegrationhavealreadyledtoacriticalevaluationofthedemocraticlegitimacyoftheEUandthenatureofthepoliticalunionneededtoguaranteeit.6
Conclusion
Therecentyearsoffinancial,economicandpoliticalturmoilhavebothhighlighted someoldpoliticaldividinglinesintheEUandestablishednewones.
6 ThistopicwillbethesubjectofaFIIABriefingPaperpub-
lishedlaterintheseries.
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Mostoftheseseemtobeinflux,however.Thatistosay,theirboundarieshavenotbeendefinedorcementedinthelightoftherecentextraordinarycrisisdecisionortheongoingre-constructionoftheEMU.Yetthepoliticaldivisionsarelikelytobemani-festedinensuingEuropeanandnationalelections,andthusshapetheprocessessuggestingadeepereconomicintegration.Thatsaid,themostsignificantdivisionrelatedtothedeepeningoftheEU,andonewhichalsoseemstoprevailovertime,istheUK’sreluctancetomovetowardsan“evercloserUnion”.Whilethismayhavesomeramificationsforthere-constructionoftheEMU,theEUmemberstateshavealreadydemonstratedtheirabilityandwillingnesstomoveforwardwithouttheUK.
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