The roles of Eurosceptic Members of the European Parliament and their implications for the EU
| DOI | 10.1177/0192512115571590 |
| Published date | 01 June 2015 |
| Author | Nathalie Brack |
| Date | 01 June 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
International Political Science Review
2015, Vol. 36(3) 337 –350
© The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512115571590
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The roles of Eurosceptic Members
of the European Parliament and
their implications for the EU
Nathalie Brack
Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Abstract
The 2014 European elections demonstrated the scale and success of the EU’s opponents. Radical and populist
parties topped the polls in some countries while others gained parliamentary representation for the first
time. At the same time, Euroscepticism has entered the mainstream, with an increase of anti-EU rhetoric
among government parties and the European Conservative and Reformist group becoming the third largest
party in the European Parliament. In this context, this article aims at analysing the strategies developed by
Eurosceptics from the left, the right and the mainstream once elected to parliament but also at providing
food for thought regarding the implications of an (increased) presence of Eurosceptic MEPs. It provides a
typology of four roles played by Eurosceptics, showing the diversity of their strategies. It then argues that
the presence of these dissenting voices might be an asset for the EU’s legitimacy.
Keywords
European Parliament, European Union, Euroscepticism, legitimacy, politicization
Introduction
European integration has entered a new and more difficult phase of its existence, characterized by
mass Euroscepticism, the rise of radical and anti-establishment parties and a mainstreaming of
anti-EU rhetoric. The ongoing economic and financial crisis has not only re-opened debates on the
raison d’être of European integration and the legitimacy of the European Union (EU)’s interven-
tion but it has also increased the EU’s visibility in the public sphere. These developments have
galvanized opposition to the EU. In the 2014 European elections there was unprecedented success
for Eurosceptic parties such as UKIP, the Front National in France, Syriza in Greece and the Danish
People’s Party, leading some commentators to talk about a ‘Eurosceptic storm in Brussels’
(Financial Times, 2014). Although their success varied from country to country, both radical left
and right parties increased their representation in the European Parliament (EP). This seems to
Corresponding author:
Nathalie Brack, FRS-FNRS Research Fellow, CEVIPOL, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50 CP
124, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Email: nbrack@ulb.ac.be
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