What Crises Leave Behind: A Framework for Explaining Entrenched Crisis Governance in the European Union

Crises have become defining features of European governance, yet we lack a systematic understanding of how crisis-driven practices persist beyond the moment of disruption. This paper develops a conceptual framework for analysing the entrenchment of crisis governance in the European Union. Building on institutional change theory, crisis management research, and emerging work on crisisification, the paper specifies three dimensions along which crisis governance may endure: depth (shifts in actor networks, decision-making routines, and organisational structures), breadth (diffusion across policy sectors), and persistence (continuity beyond the triggering event). It then identifies two families of mechanisms -- intentional and unintentional --that drive these transformations. Intentional mechanisms include crisis exploitation, strategic lock-in, and legal codification; unintentional mechanisms include layering, drift, and positive feedback. Drawing selectively on examples from migration, energy, budgetary, and industrial policy, the paper demonstrates how emergency arrangements can become embedded features of the EU’s governing architecture. The goal is to offer a mid-range analytical framework for studying crisis-driven institutional change within multilevel systems, and to illuminate the broader implications for the evolution and democratic quality of the EU polity.