Publication

This brief analyzes the rise of euroscepticism after the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2008. The author argues that eurosceptic forces throughout the continent have developed a rhetoric that is both modern and appealing to the broader public, leading to the increasing popularity of eurosceptic left- and right-wing parties challenging the traditional pro-European stance of the political mainstream. In order to respond to this surge of euroscepticism, he recommends that mainstream parties both acknowledge criticism and engage in more political debate and disagreement rather than form a technocratic pro-European bloc.