Can EU judicial intervention increase polity scepticism? Experimental evidence from Spain

Abstract

The mantra of “take back control” has become a staple within the rhetorical repertoire of eurosceptics on both the left and right across member states of the EU. At the centre of the slogan’s message is a call to arms against the (perceived) challenge that membership of the EU represents for national state sovereignty. In this paper, we argue that decisions taken by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) can act as a cue for citizens regarding the extent of EU integration on the dilution of national sovereignty and lead to increased `polity scepticism': increased opposition to the EU and decreased satisfaction with national democracy. Empirically, we leverage a natural experiment in Spain to assess how ECJ rulings impact both euroscepticism and dissatisfaction with democracy. Our results provide strong evidence that ECJ rulings can have a negative causal effect on support for the EU and satisfaction with democracy. The implications of our findings suggest that EU institutions seeking to ensure compliance with the rule of law and EU norms should proceed with caution. Interventionist action may backfire by increasing the scrutiny of the EU's legitimacy and undermining polity support.

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ORCID for Stuart J. Turnbull-Dugarte: orcid.org/0000-0002-9330-3945

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