Brexit – the EU membership crisis that wasn’t?

Schelkle, Waltraud ORCID: 0000-0003-4127-107X, Kyriazi, Anna, Ganderson, Joseph ORCID: 0000-0002-5775-6349 and Altiparmakis, Argyrios (2024) Brexit – the EU membership crisis that wasn’t? West European Politics, 47 (5). 997 - 1020. ISSN 0140-2382

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Abstract

This introduction to the special issue recalls the alarm raised in EU capitals and Brussels after the UK’s in-out referendum delivered a Leave vote in June 2016. The fear was of a domino effect and the further fragmentation of an already divided EU. Seven years later, it is clear that there was rapid attrition of Eurosceptic triumphalism, and the EU-27 showed remarkable unity. This required a sustained collective effort to contain a membership crisis and maintain the EU polity. Yet, the issue contributors challenge the notion that the alarm was unfounded and explain why this counter-factual did not materialise, even though potential for future membership crises of different sorts was revealed. Theoretically, this supports an understanding of the EU as a polity that is fragile, yet able to assert porous borders, exercise authority over a diverse membership, and mobilise a modicum of loyalty when the entire integration regime is under threat.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/fwep20
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Author(s)
Divisions:	European Institute
Subjects:	J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) J Political Science > JZ International relations
Date Deposited:	08 Apr 2024 14:15
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2024 05:36
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/122563

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