A Litmus Test for Democratic Politics in Europe

Book excerpt: This book investigates how political actors - and more particularly members of parliaments - have reacted to Brexit to assess its long-term consequences. Brexit has not only been a major disruption affecting the functioning and internal balance of the European Union (EU), but to a very large extent, it also represents a challenge to the idea of an ‘ever closer union’ and to the democratic principles on which the EU has been built. Relying on empirical explorations of regional and national parliaments across the continent as well as the European Parliament, the chapters in this volume address three intertwined sets of questions regarding the evolution of democratic politics in Europe in the wake of Brexit. Firstly, how do citizens’ representatives assess the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU and its consequences? Secondly, what is the impact of Brexit as regards the politicisation of the debate on Europe? Has Brexit exacerbated existing political divisions or generated new cleavages? Thirdly, and crucially, have parliaments attempted to and succeeded in influencing Brexit negotiations and their outcome? What positions did parliamentarians promote in these negotiations? What model for the future of the EU did they defend? The book is key reading for all students and researchers interested in Politics and International Relations, Elections, European Studies, and European Union Politics. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary European Studies.