A Thorn in the Side of European Elites

Book excerpt: The European project has recently reached a critical point, where a discussion on the fundamental objectives of the European Union has entered public debate. There are considerable concerns about a new Euroscepticism arising in response to recent developments, especially the Eurozone crisis, and a general feeling of malaise towards the European project from both national elites and ordinary citizens of Member States. This paper looks at how Euroscepticism can be defined, the reasons behind its development in Western and Eastern Europe and the EPPÕs perspective on this phenomenon.Ê