The Disintegrative Power of Ideas: Euroscepticism, Populism and the Future of the EU

The EU has become a central arena in which populist and identitarian movements contest the meaning of sovereignty, democracy, and belonging. This paper examines how the spread of disintegrative ideas within these movements threatens the cohesion and legitimacy of the EU. Over the past decade, opposition to integration has evolved from policy-based criticism into a broader ideological project that questions the very rationale of the Union. As these ideas gain ground across Europe, they shape institutions, influence political priorities, and weaken the foundations of integration. The paper argues that the mainstreaming of radical Euroscepticism represents an existential risk to the EU. It distinguishes between constructive and destructive Euroscepticism. The former seeks reform and renewal within the EU, while the latter rejects integration altogether, aiming to erode its political and symbolic structures. The shift from constructive to destructive forms marks a decisive moment in the erosion of the European project. Brexit serves as the first step in the analysis, a benchmark for understanding how destructive Euroscepticism can move from ideological opposition to institutional rupture. It provides a clear example of how ideas, once widely embraced, can reshape the political and institutional landscape of the EU. Building on this starting point, the paper compares the ideological conditions surrounding Brexit with those shaping the EU today. It explores how Eurosceptic narratives continue to evolve, how they gain institutional expression, and how their disintegrative potential may once again challenge the continuity of the European project, albeit under different circumstances than those present at the time of Brexit.