Politicising European Integration: Emmanuel Macron, Cleavage Unfreezing and Party System Transformation in France

Postfunctionalist theory of European integration stipulates that the party systems of European Union (EU) member states are being transformed by the politicisation of European integration within their national debates. Positing that such politicisation reflects the displacement of the traditional domestic left-right cleavage by a novel supranational integration-versus-demarcation cleavage, an analysis is proposed of how this new cleavage transformed the logic of party competition in France. European integration was initially politicised by the Eurosceptic radical right and left, splintering governing party electorates between the winners and losers of integration. Europe’s politicisation was consummated with the emergence of a political entrepreneur – Emmanuel Macron – who prioritised defending the winners of European integration as opposed to Eurosceptic parties that harnessed the impact on its losers. Overall, this confirms that European integration is reshaping the domestic politics of EU member states.
Keywords: postfunctionalism; European integration; France; political parties; Euroscepticism; Emmanuel Macron