The party politics of Euro-scepticism in EU Member and candidate states

This paper presents results of research into party-based so-called 'Euro-scepticism' in twenty-five countries. After offering a conceptualisation of Euro-scepticism and of two different forms of it, the paper maps the incidence of parties expressing Euro-scepticism in EU Member States and the candidate states of central and eastern Europe. Using those data, comparisons are made between the Member and candidate states as well as across the range of states.

The research demonstrates that patterns of Euro-scepticism in party systems of member and candidate states are remarkably similar and that support for Euro-sceptical parties is an established component of European politics across Europe. The paper also demonstrates that there is a significant misfit between popular levels of Euro-scepticism and support for parties expressing Euro-scepticism that means that it is necessary to include parties in any evaluation of the impact of Euro-scepticism on European integration.