Continuity or change? Who sets the narratives on European integration

Narratives of European integration are far from being constructed in Brussels alone; rather, a plurality of actors, including national governments, political parties and citizens shape them. Despite disagreement over the reasons for belonging to the EU and specific policies, especially in the ‘polycrisis’ era, pro-integration narratives remain broadly resilient. The main challenge comes from radical-right Eurosceptic actors, whose contestation takes different forms: some reject membership outright, while others challenge the integration process from within. The latter may be no less disruptive, as they can undermine the EU’s legal order through the mobilisation of national constitutional identities against EU primacy. Brexit is the only case in which both strategies combined, reflecting a transactional approach to membership, the activation of a domestic cleavage by a political entrepreneur, and the absence of constitutional review. The resilience of pro-integration narratives may reflect both public support and political elites’ capacity to shape and instrumentalise it.