Between Europhobia and Europhilia: Party and popular attitudes towards membership of the European union in Serbia and Croatia

Abstract

The overall societal consensus on the positive implication of the process of Europeanisation in the Central East European states has been recently questioned by the rise of Euro-sceptic stances. The focus of this paper is a study of domestic political and public attitudes towards the European Union (EU) in Serbia and Croatia, with a special reference to the Euro-sceptic stances. The specific nature of Serbian and Croatian Euro-scepticism is determined by two principal factors – the unfavourable position both countries have regarding European Union membership and the aftermath of the 1990s war, which impeded the process of European integration. The paper offers a two-dimensional conceptualisation of attitudes towards EU membership, which range from outright rejection, to unquestioned support. Since the position of different social actors towards European Union membership is not consistent, the paper identifies a shift in the attitudes of the main societal actors over time, in this case towards a more pro-EU stance. It also discusses the attitudes of a broad range of social groups; influential individuals; people of science and culture; and national churches and citizens.

Key words:

• European Union
• Serbia
• Croatia
• European integration
• Euro-scepticism