Conclusion – external threat and internal divisions: How the war in Ukraine shapes mass politics in the EU

Philipp Genschel

European Union Politics, 2025, vol. 26, issue 2, 442-450

Abstract: I review this Special Section in three steps. First, I summarize the theoretical framework, contrasting bellicist and polity-maintenance perspectives on how outside threats such as the war in Ukraine affect the mass politics of EU integration. Second, I report findings about public attitudes and party positions on the war and the EU's reactions to it. The articles show a broad permissive consensus on more policy integration, and a modest ‘Europeanization’ of party-political messaging. Third, I compare findings on four major explanatory variables: threat perceptions, country-level differences, individual identity and political ideology. The articles show a unifying effect of the war on European mass publics. The remaining disunity is mostly within, not between member states. I conclude with some speculative notes on the future of European unity.

Keywords: European Union; political attitudes; political parties; Russia; Ukraine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:26:y:2025:i:2:p:442-450

DOI: 10.1177/14651165251318963

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