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Introduction: European politics nowadays ] 15
attention has been paid to the theory and practice of potential disintegration
so far. A few recently published books - such as Douglas Webbers (2019)
European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union, or Hans
Vollaard’s (2018) European Disintegration. A Search for Explanations - and
journal articles make an attempt to fill this gap.
Finally, we cannot ignore the global dimension ofthe EU’s crises. In 2012,
when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Union, the Norwegian Nobel
Committee praised its successful struggle for peace and reconciliation, and for
democracy and human rights, which had helped transform most of Europe
from a continent of war to a continent of peace.? Nevertheless, another
sentence in the same press release referred to the "currently undergoing grave
economic difficulties and considerable social unrest” in the EU, which led
this decision to be perceived by many as an act of encouragement, rather
than an act of acknowledgement.
The European Union's global image and prestige have suffered an undeniable
blow as a result of its poly-crisis in the past decade. Richard Haass gives
a straightforward account of the mainstream American - and global ¬
perception in this regard:
Still, there is a question of whether Europe’s best days are behind it. The future of
both NATO and the European Union (EU) is in some doubt. Support for both within
many countries is diminished, and there is no consensus as to the desired structure
and role of the EU. Centrist parties have lost supporters to more radical parties of
both the left and the right. There are also renewed concerns over Russian intentions,
and there is no broad agreement on how to deal with China. Economic growth has
slowed, while economic inequality has in many countries increased. What was once
the world’s most successful region now finds itself facing a demanding future with
less confidence and consensus. (Haas 2020, 67-69)
THE EU’S LEGITIMACY CRISIS
Dealing with crisis is not new for the European Union and its institutions.
However, this poly-crisis seems to be different, in both its nature and its
consequences, due to its multidimensional character. EU experts do not
even agree on which events should really be considered as its main sources
and components. The typical list includes the financial and economic crisis,
the refugee and migration crisis, Brexit, and the COVID-19 pandemic. But
Berend, for example, speaks of nine open or hidden crises: the euro-crisis,
the Greek debt crisis, the Russian challenge to European security, Brexit, and
the migration crisis as the open ones; while the “demographic time bomb’,
* See the press release made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee at https://www.nobelprize.
org/prizes/peace/2012/press-release