Since the advent of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, a key turning point in terms of the crystallisation of opposition towards the European Union (EU), Euroscepticism has become a transnational phenomenon. The term ‘Euroscepticism’ has become common political language in all EU member states and, with the advent of the Eurozone, refugee and security crises have become increasingly ‘embedded’ within European nation states. Bringing together a collection of essays by established and up-and-coming authors in the field, this handbook paints a fuller, more holistic picture of the extent to which the Eurosceptic debate has influenced the EU and its member states. Crucially, it also focuses on what the consequences of this development are likely to be for the future direction of the European project. By adopting a broad-based, thematic approach, the volume centres on theory and conceptualisation, political parties, public opinion, non-party groups, the role of referendums – and the media – and of scepticism within the EU institutions. It also reflects on the future of Euroscepticism studies following the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU. Containing a full range of thematic contributions from eminent scholars in the field, The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism is a definitive frame of reference for academics, practitioners and those with an interest in the debate about the EU, and more broadly for students of European Studies, EU and European Politics.

Table of Contents:
Part I Euroscepticism: Theory and Conceptualisation 1. Defining Euroscepticism: From a Broad Concept to a Field of Study 2. Contemporary Research on Euroscepticism: The State of the Art 3. Theory, Concepts and Research Design in the Study of Euroscepticism 4. Euroscepticism as Ideology 5. Euroscepticism: Stand-alone Phenomenon or Embedded within a Broader Cleavage? Part II Eurosceptic Parties and Domestic Party Systems 6. Euroscepticism and Political Parties: Theory and Practice 7. ‘Euromondialisme’ and the Growth of the Radical Right 8. Opposing Europe, Opposing Austerity: Radical Left Parties and the Eurosceptic Debate 9. The UK Independence Party and other Primarily Eurosceptic Parties 10. The Dynamic of Euroscepticism in Germany 11. Party-based Euroscepticism in the Nordic Region: Ever More ‘Reluctant Europeans’? 12. Eurosceptic Parties in the Central and Eastern European Countries: A Comparative Case Study of Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria 13. Changing the Rules, Changing the Winners? The Various Effects of European Election Rules on Party Oppositions to the EU in France 14. Losing Loyalty: The Rise of Polity Euroscepticism in Southern Europe Part III Public Opinion, Referendums and Citizens’ Perceptions of the European Union 15. Soft Sceptics and Hard Rejectionists: Identifying Two Types of Eurosceptic Voters 16. Young People and the EU at Times of Crisis 17. Eurosceptic Youth: Interest, Trust and Ideology 18. The Pragmatic Euroscepticism of Scandinavia 19. Derailing European Integration? Euroscepticism and the Politics of EU Referendums 20. EU Referendums in the ‘New’ Member States: Politicisation after a Decade of Support? 21. Referendums and European Integration: The Case of the United Kingdom 22. When ‘No’ means ‘Yes’: A Comparative Study of Referendums in Denmark and Ireland Part IV Non-state Actors: Civil Society and the Media 23. Euroscepticism as EU Polity Contestation 24. Euroscepticism and the Crisis: ‘Critical Europeanism’ and Anti-austerity Social Movements 25. Euroscepticism and Big Business 26. Euroscepticism and Trade Unionism: The Crisis of ‘Social Europe’ 27. Mirroring or Setting the Political Agenda? The Role of the Media in the Eurosceptic Debate 28. Varieties of Opposition to the EU in the Low Countries: A Comparison of the Dutch and Flemish Press Part V Transnational and Pan-European Euroscepticism 29. Euroscepticism in the EU Institutions: A Persistent and Embedded Phenomenon 30. Transnational and Pan-European Euroscepticism: The Case of the European Conservatives and Reformists 31. Eurosceptic Members of the European Parliament: Foxes in the Henhouse? 32. The Far Right and the 2014 European Elections: Consequences for the Eurosceptic Debate Part VI Crises: Euroscepticism, Brexit and the Future of European Integration 33. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Euroscepticism 34. Voting to Leave: Economic Insecurity and the Brexit Vote 35. How the Referendum was Lost: An Analysis of the UK Referendum Campaign on EU Membership 36. Conclusion: Euroscepticism and European (dis)integration in the Age of Brexit