State of Unions: Separatisms and Crisis of National Unity in Time of EU’s Crisis

Abstract

The present EU crisis, and the quest for EU’s further federalisation, is paralleled by steady changes in national identity (and separatism) in some Member States, with Scotland and Catalonia in the lead. The patterns of Europe’s (geo)politics have been shaped for last few hundred years by the concept of a sovereign state based on a unified polity of nation, and it has been the nation-state that most of political identities in Europe referred to. However, after the World War II one may observe not only steady rise in separatism in seemingly stable nation-states, (e.g. UK, Italy, France, Spain), and build-up of separate national identities (e.g. Scottish, Flemish, Catalan), but also increasing international acceptance/legitimacy of such identities and feasibility of their implementation. This is greatly due to the EU, which enables relatively smaller states to function effectively within international system. Characteristically, many separatist movements directly pursue “independence in Europe”. If this tendency continues, the EU is to face deep change in the pattern of its functioning due to multiplication of actors and decrease in their individual power, as well as rise in Euroscepticism in some old Member States and rise in support for the European integration in some of the emerging ones. Importantly, there is possible chain reaction between separatists, as one nation’s successful bid for independence may easily lead to increased efforts on the side of others. Last but not least, the crisis of some traditional identities and emergence of new ones will also influence EU’s ability to develop pan-European polity. Therefore, the panel aims at discussing different aspects of political identity as a key factor in state formation and state failure in the EU, including emerging pan-European polity itself. All well-argued theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome, special attention will be paid however to the constructivist one.

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