Southern Europe: Mapping Change and Moving on

Southern Europe has experienced a decade of dizzying developments, some triggered by the region’s position in the frontline of major European crises (eurozone turmoil, refugee/migrant influx) and some essentially domestically driven. Events have sometimes been dramatic, including regime change (Turkey’s move to presidentialism), possible state breakup (the Catalan demand for independence from Spain) and party system collapse (in austerity-struck Greece). Looking back over an often tumultuous period, the question arises how much in the region has changed and how much has stayed the same. Meanwhile, national experiences have been far from uniform. For example, while much of the southern eurozone has undergone austerity, Malta essentially escaped the economic crisis and Turkey has enjoyed significant economic growth. This Section offers an opportunity for a ‘stocktaking’ of where the region finds itself today and where it might be headed in the future.