European Integration in a Historical Perspective: Politicization – A Theoretical Blindspot?

Abstract

‘European Integration in a Historical Perspective: Politicization – A theoretical Blindspot?’ picks up the contemporary debate of the relevance of functionalism to theorize European Integration of the 21st Century. To what extend does the phenomenon of politicization of the European Refugee Crisis question the common theoretical understanding of European integration? This central question places the concept of politicization at the centre of this debate. An extensive historiography provides an overview of European Integration theory since the end of WWII. To narrow down the scope of the research, migration is chosen as a focus, highlighting migration policy in regional integration in Europe since the end of the Cold War through primary sources. Providing a narrative framework Syrian political refugees are used as a case study, as they are at the centre of the European migrant crisis of 2015. An empirical secondary analysis of Eurobarometer survey data on public opinion between 1999 and 2019 as well as of the European Elections of 2009, 2014 and 2019 establish a foundation for a discussion on the role of identity, politicization, public perception and policy decision making. At the centre of this deliberation are the established functional theory of Liberal Intergovernmentalism and the novel approach of Post-Functionalism. While the findings support the functional approach, hypothetical indications that require larger scale research seriously question established theories. Politicization, amplified by the internet and new media, could create serious public pressure on policy makers. The regional integration process in Europe however is so rigid and time-consuming that it survives the temporary waves of politicized public preferences. Salience is a fluent concept that can quickly change from one issue to another.