Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland

The Polish people remain staunchly in favour of the concept of a European Union. Paradoxically though, there has been strong and continued electoral support for Law and Justice (PiS), its ruling party, despite its insistence on precipitating and then continuing multifaceted conflicts with EU institu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Polak Aleksandra, Hartwell Christopher A., Sidło Katarzyna W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2023-09-01
Series:Comparative Southeast European Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2022-0054
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850034558162960384
author Polak Aleksandra
Hartwell Christopher A.
Sidło Katarzyna W.
author_facet Polak Aleksandra
Hartwell Christopher A.
Sidło Katarzyna W.
author_sort Polak Aleksandra
collection DOAJ
description The Polish people remain staunchly in favour of the concept of a European Union. Paradoxically though, there has been strong and continued electoral support for Law and Justice (PiS), its ruling party, despite its insistence on precipitating and then continuing multifaceted conflicts with EU institutions. This article examines the internal structural changes in Poland and the attitudes to the EU of Poland’s leaders; the article will argue that those attitudes have deepened pre-existing divisions over integration. By fusing the triple modernization theory of European integration with a two-dimensional concept of party-based Euroscepticism, the article shows how PiS’s ambiguous discourse on European integration, combined with an increasingly instrumental approach to the EU by the Polish electorate—and that electorate’s deepening polarization—have secured steady support for PiS from ostensibly Europhile voters.
format Article
id doaj-art-6b2a670d9cf24fd1b70af2ee432d1806
institution DOAJ
issn 2701-8199
2701-8202
language English
publishDate 2023-09-01
publisher De Gruyter
record_format Article
series Comparative Southeast European Studies
spelling doaj-art-6b2a670d9cf24fd1b70af2ee432d18062025-08-20T02:57:47ZengDe GruyterComparative Southeast European Studies2701-81992701-82022023-09-0171330033210.1515/soeu-2022-0054Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in PolandPolak Aleksandra0Hartwell Christopher A.1Sidło Katarzyna W.2Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandZHAW School of Management and Law, International Management Institute, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland; Department of International Management, Kozminski University, Warsaw, PolandMiddle East and North Africa Department, CASE – Center for Social and Economic Research, Warsaw, PolandThe Polish people remain staunchly in favour of the concept of a European Union. Paradoxically though, there has been strong and continued electoral support for Law and Justice (PiS), its ruling party, despite its insistence on precipitating and then continuing multifaceted conflicts with EU institutions. This article examines the internal structural changes in Poland and the attitudes to the EU of Poland’s leaders; the article will argue that those attitudes have deepened pre-existing divisions over integration. By fusing the triple modernization theory of European integration with a two-dimensional concept of party-based Euroscepticism, the article shows how PiS’s ambiguous discourse on European integration, combined with an increasingly instrumental approach to the EU by the Polish electorate—and that electorate’s deepening polarization—have secured steady support for PiS from ostensibly Europhile voters.https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2022-0054polandeuropean unioneuropean integrationrule of laweuroscepticism
spellingShingle Polak Aleksandra
Hartwell Christopher A.
Sidło Katarzyna W.
Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland
Comparative Southeast European Studies
poland
european union
european integration
rule of law
euroscepticism
title Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland
title_full Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland
title_fullStr Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland
title_full_unstemmed Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland
title_short Physically Present but Spiritually Distant: The View of the European Union in Poland
title_sort physically present but spiritually distant the view of the european union in poland
topic poland
european union
european integration
rule of law
euroscepticism
url https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2022-0054
work_keys_str_mv AT polakaleksandra physicallypresentbutspirituallydistanttheviewoftheeuropeanunioninpoland
AT hartwellchristophera physicallypresentbutspirituallydistanttheviewoftheeuropeanunioninpoland
AT sidłokatarzynaw physicallypresentbutspirituallydistanttheviewoftheeuropeanunioninpoland