Postfunctionalism, Identity and the Visegrad Group

Abstract:

This article elaborates on the development of the Visegrad group (V4), consisting of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, in relation to the European integration process in the aftermath of its many crises. The article suggests that the so‐called migration crisis that started in 2015 for the V4 countries constitutes a situation that, in the existing literature, has been described as a postfunctionalist moment.

However, in the V4 countries a postfunctionalist moment does not merely suggest reluctance to agree to further integration and in general a turn to EU criticism, but a strengthening of the four countries' shared V4 identity as well. To elaborate on the way that the V4's handling of the migration issue contributes to V4 identity‐building, the article argues that the postfunctionalist literature needs to be supplemented by insights from social constructivism. The article utilises a narrative analysis to examine the way that a V4 identity is under construction.