The EU’s polycrisis, bilateralism and European integration: evidence from the Portuguese case during the Eurozone crisis and Brexit

This paper provides insight on European Union member states’ bilateral dynamics and their implications on European integration by focusing on the case of Portugal. The literature has unsurprisingly paid greater attention to the bilateral links of larger member states. However, smaller EU members rely comparatively more on the multilateral ‘umbrella’ of the Union, forcing them to be proactive in times of EU crisis, notably through greater bilateralism. Portugal is a good example of a small European state that has considerably relied on the EU and, simultaneously, kept extensive external relations greatly linked to its colonial past. This makes it an interesting case to explore member states’ bilateral dynamics, both inside and outside the EU. The focus is on two recent EU crises that have directly affected the country: the Eurozone crisis and Brexit. While being one of the ‘Troika countries’ that had to be bailed out during the Euro crisis, Portugal was left without an important Atlanticist ally within the EU following Brexit. There is initial evidence that Portugal’s bilateralism increased during both crises. Under the Eurozone crisis the country strictly aligned itself with Germany and reinforced its relations with extra-EU partners, notably Angola and China. In turn, Lisbon stepped up its bilateral relationship with the UK and with other Atlantic states as a result of Brexit. Drawing on the literature on the foreign policy of small states and Europeanization, the present paper further probes this evidence considering, first, to what extent have those two EU crises led to a renewal of bilateralism in Portugal’s European and foreign policy? Second, did such level of bilateralism represent a purely tactical move or a more sustained trend? Third, did it hinder or further support the Europeanization of Portuguese foreign policy? These questions are answered trough a qualitative analysis of primary and secondary sources.