ABSTRACT

For EU studies, Brexit represents an epistemological breach. Most of the theories available in the toolbox of EU theories start from the assumption that the EU is developing through a process of integration. Crises are not absent from EU theories, but in most cases they are considered unavoidable moments to move forward the integration process. Many courses on EU politics taught the students for years that leaving the EU was an issue that member states could never experience because of strong interdependence. It is exactly the opposite that took place with Brexit, and it has become a strong incentive for EU scholars to rethink their theoretical accounts of EU, from neo-functionalism to liberal intergovernmentalism and multilevel governance (Saurugger 2014). EU is now confronted with disintegration trends (Zielonka 2014). Brexit demonstrates that crises do not always lead to compromises that allow the EU to bounce back and move forward. They can also be disruptive in the sense of a renationalisation of EU competences. Brexit is also an incentive to insert more the domestic politics of the member states in the EU theory. Too many theoretical works have neglected the role of domestic politics in their modelling. EU theories have been for five decades too EU-centric. The reason is that it has been easier to concentrate on the central deals in European institutions than opening the black box of the member states. Of course, opening the black box of twenty-eight (or twenty-seven) member states is not an easy task for scholarly research. It requires making comparative work in the capitals of the member states, not only in Brussels, and mastering several national politics and languages. Domestic politics in EU member states is still delivered in national languages, and EU scholars cannot expect any progress in their work if they do not go into this diversity. Brexit shows forcefully that there is no other choice for EU scholars than going back to a detailed study of national polities and politics if they have the ambition to renew EU theories.