Critical Europeans? Changing Conceptions of the EU in Scotland and Flanders

Substate nationalist parties which mobilise on behalf of stateless nations, have advanced a variety of territorial claims, including claims for recognition and protection, federal restructuring, regional autonomy and finally, independence. These goals are not pursued in a vacuum - they reflect domestic and international conditions and strategic considerations which are evident both in the content of the goals, the proposed institutional and territorial structure, and its framing or justification. Both the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie and the Scottish National Party seek independence, although the N-VA has adopted confederalism in the medium-term. Membership within the European Union is central, although not uncontested, to these independence objectives, with the N-VA foreseeing the transfer of some state functions to the European level while the SNP stresses maintenance of existing opt-outs and close ties within the British Isles. Both parties have largely adopted positive stances towards the European Union, viewing the European project as a means to achieve independence without isolation but these visions have evolved in response to European events. Drawing on a larger body of work on how territorial claims are framed in a European and global context, I adopt a longitudinal, cross-national approach to the framing of territorial goals in response to European integration. This paper explores the ways in which key events – the rise and fall of the Europe of the Regions, the Eurozone crisis, and subsequent challenges to the European project, including the refugee crisis and its European dimensions – are incorporated both in the content of territorial goals and its rhetorical framing.