This series of papers endeavours to better understand how the Russian war in Ukraine affects European integration, with a particular focus on the demand side (public opinion) and important supply side actors (far left and far right parties). Did the Russian invasion of Ukraine result in increased European unity or did it increase divisions among member states? Are EU citizens more solidaristic during this crisis? Are there divisions within member states between the political centre and the extremes? On the one hand we have the unifying factor: the EU is facing a common challenge which requires sustained cooperation among member states. A common external threat may bring EU member states, and EU citizens, close together to fight for common interests. On the other hand, the multifaceted nature of the conflict implies (differential) costs for member states. Divisions may appear as member states are incentivised to pursue their national self-interest at the cost of maintaining a unified EU response. The contributions use a wide array of approaches (cross-sectional survey data, survey experiments, panel surveys, social media data, EU parliament voting data) to study diverse aspects of the crisis, including conflict and coalition structures, policy preferences, attitudes to the war, and demand for EU centralisation. The papers investigate the various aspects of the war including refugees, energy policy, inflation, defence policy, as well as overall support for the EU and its actions in response to the war.
Hybrid event. The link to the session will be provided following registration.