ABSTRACT
Euroscepticism, often described as opposition to the European Union (EU), is widely believed to have gained ground in contemporary Europe. The Maastricht Treaty is often seen as the main turning point in this respect (for example Usherwood and Startin 2013: 3–4). As the chapters in this Handbook show, criticism towards the EU has been further fuelled since then, by events and crises, as well as by the rise of populist parties across Member States. Hence, some scholars have claimed that further politicization of European affairs cannot be stopped (de Wilde and Zürn 2012). The 2016 Brexit referendum has so far been the most influential manifestation of this development.
