German and French Experiences of European Integration

A European elite survey shows that attitudes towards European integration cannot be reduced to a simple opposition between federalists and Euro-skeptics. There are also proponents of nuances in intergovernmental and unionist integration. It is somewhat surprising to observe that there are few differences between attitudes of various elite categories. For instance, on average, economic elites are not more integrationist than political elites. There are also very few significant relationships between socio-demographic characteristics of elites and their European attitudes. Nationality and ideological orientations are the two main determinants of elites’ attitudes towards integration. There are more differences between elites of various countries than between different types of elites in a given country. It may thus be hypothesized that there are different national experiences of European integration. Members of the various member states see the EU with different eyes, depending on the present specificity of their national situation and their collective history. These perceptions are intertwined with different ideological leanings. There has been little research on these national experiences and perceptions of European integration so far. Scholars usually rely on quantitative surveys that reveal national differences but do not provide explanations of these differences. We have conducted in-depth interviews with ordinary citizens from various social strata in France and Germany to study their views on Europe. We have also held in-depth interviews with members of political, economic, media, and trade-union French elites. French elites are characterized by their strong integrationist attitudes and their preferences for intergovernmental, organizational forms of EU institutions. There are also few differences between left and right wing French elites, even if the former are a bit more eager to strengthen European integration. German elites seem to be more divided and more often federalist than intergovernmentalist. This communication will analyze how French and German national experiences of European integration may help to understand and to explain these differences.