「欧州化」と「政治化」の関係

― EU 市民の意識形成をめぐる課題―

抄録

　The concept of “politicization” has become a keyword to describe the EU since the crises in the 2010s. However, several issues exist among previous studies. Firstly, they tend to omit mentioning the concept of general politicization. One will face great difficulty in illustrating the uniqueness of the politicization of the EU without making a comparison to general politicization. Secondly, due to the current crises and politicization, scholars have emphasized a dysfunctional aspect of the EU. Yet, in order to understand the current situation of the EU, we need to take into account the continuity from the past. Thus, it is crucial to examine the pre-crises period of the EU. In contrast to this academic background, this paper considers another concept of “Europeanization,” which received attention by academia in the early 2000s. This paper seeks to expose the EU in a changing era through a comprehensive analysis of Europeanization in the 2000s and the politicization in the 2010s.

　This paper argues that the politicization of the EU is characterized by three aspects: multi-levels, linkage, and pluralism. These features are strengthened by Europeanization. Further, this paper demonstrates the limitation of Europeanization of EU citizens. Previous studies suggested that European identity has not declined, and politicization embraces the possibility to strengthen the European polity. Conversely, this paper indicates the importance of the reexamination of the validity of such results. Although the majority of EU citizens recognize that they are European, perception gaps very well exist. Unless there is a reduction in disparity within the economy and education, Europeanization among the citizens will otherwise be constrained and the social divide will maintain. Moreover, according to Eurobarometer, EU citizens lack sufficient knowledge about the EU. Therefore, the progress of debates within the EU are hardly expected under these circumstances.

　In short, the EU as a polity has changed through Europeanization and politicization in the last two decades. The relationship among various actors has deepened through the process of Europeanization. On the one hand, the EU has been under political dynamics because of the politicization, while this does not mean that the EU has managed to create a connection with EU citizens. On the other hand, the EU is still a depoliticized institution. Therefore, the EU currently holds the aspects of both “the awaken giant” and “the sedated/sleeping giant.”