Maintaining the EU's compound polity during the long crisis decade.

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• European Studies
• International Relations

Background:

• The European Union (EU) has faced persistent crises since 2008, questioning its long-term durability.
• Significant new capacities were developed, but their robustness and potential for citizen resentment remain unclear.
• Foundational conflicts over sovereignty, solidarity, and identity have emerged, often constraining policy responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explain the unexpected resilience of the European Union (EU) amidst prolonged crises.
• To analyze the factors contributing to the EU's ability to avoid self-destruction.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of crisis politics in maintaining the Union.

Main Methods:

• Summarization of empirical research findings.
• Analysis of political science literature on EU integration and crisis management.
• Examination of case studies on EU polity maintenance.

Main Results:

• The EU's resilience is attributed to three key factors: public rhetorical action, externalization strategies, and the paradoxical strengths of a weak central authority.
• Crisis politics, while often limiting policy scope, did not lead to the Union's collapse.
• Despite internal tensions and conflicts, the EU has maintained its structural integrity.

Conclusions:

• The EU exhibits a surprising capacity for self-preservation even under severe stress.
• Strategies involving public discourse, shifting burdens externally, and leveraging a less powerful center have been crucial for polity maintenance.
• Further research is needed to assess the long-term sustainability of these resilience mechanisms.