Mobilizing Europe in national competition: The case of the French Front National
| Author | Emmanuelle Reungoat |
| Published date | 01 June 2015 |
| Date | 01 June 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0192512114568816 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
International Political Science Review
2015, Vol. 36(3) 296 –310
© The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512114568816
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Mobilizing Europe in national
competition: The case of the
French Front National
Emmanuelle Reungoat
Université de Montpellier, France – CEPEL, France
Abstract
This study of the uses of Europe by the leaders of the Front National shows how the opening of a new
European political space can have indirect effects, supporting political parties at the domestic level and
strengthening specific actors within political organizations. The theme of Europe, together with European
elections and the European Parliament, are transformed by Front National leaders into material as well as
symbolic resources which they mobilize in the national political space at both inter and intra-party level.
These uses of Europe reinforce the capacities and resources of the party as well as its legitimacy and visibility.
It helps Front National actors to widen their electoral support and allows party presidents to strengthen
their position. The article reveals the specificity of the Front National relationship to the European arena
and underlines the strong continuity of the practices developed by the new leadership. Finally the study
provides a detailed account of the process of Front National Europeanization and advances understanding of
the impact of European integration on domestic political competition.
Keywords
Political parties, Europeanization, far right, Euroscepticism, Front National, European integration,
nationalism, France
Introduction
The Front National (FN) has progressively made its mark as one of the main opponents to the
European Union (EU) in the French and European political space. The way the FN has reclaimed
the political arena at the European community level for use as a resource in the national political
game sheds light on the evolution of the party and the French political arena. It also serves com-
parative purposes as a tool for understanding opponents to the EU and the way European integra-
tion fits into national political spaces.
Corresponding author:
Emmanuelle Reungoat, Département de Science Politique, Université Montpellier 1, 39 Rue de l’Université, Montpellier,
34000, France.
Email: Emmanuelle.Reungoat@univ-montp1.fr
568816IPS0010.1177/0192512114568816International Political Science ReviewReungoat
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