June 21

9:00 AM - 10:45 AM

2.A.06

Galina Klimova

Abstract: Being a kind of experimental platform for theories of post-industrial development, EU is making European separatism the litmus paper for systemic questions about the essence of sovereignty and its ties with national state, the mechanisms of governance and citizens. The paradox of EU separatist parties is that they claim for independence within EU borders, which is the way to limit sovereignty. Thus, the paper addresses the issue of regional and supranational identities role in the political discourse of European separatist parties. It asks, what are the nature and mechanisms of their interaction.
The research is based on historical-discourse approach. It enables to evaluate the role of supranational European and regional identities in the political discourse of EU separatist parties and see if there are any changes since the EU commission articulated its position over the EU membership of Catalonia.
Processed source data is based on a sample of European Free Alliance official statements and public speeches of its members from 2004-2018. The issue has also been addressed with comparative analysis of EU level and regional political discourse in order to widen the focus of research.
Preliminary results of the research allow to argue that EFA and regional separatist use European identity to strengthen regional one and use the concept of sovereignty in popular, not state dimension. That returns us to classical and fundamental question of the role of sovereignty in modern political development of EU.

Disciplines: Political Science
History

Substantive Tags: Identity and Ethnicity, Political Parties and Party Systems, Regionalism

Research Networks: None of the Above

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