Changing power, sovereignty, and loyalty in the European Union

In this investigation, I present a loyalty system model of citizen support for European regional integration, which is complementary to those models that explain support based upon material gains and losses. The analysis adopts a systems theory approach first proposed by Easton (1965) with additional theoretical insights of Deutsch et al. (1957), Haas (1958), and Etzioni (1965). The core claim is that the experience of integration and of education has not promoted a "loyalty system." The development of the loyalty system is assumed to be reflective of exposure to the concepts and practice of integration. Integration's development is marked by changes in the allocation of sovereignty that is determined by the relatively more powerful European countries. The causal mechanism suggests that the greater the exposure, the less idealistic individuals are with regard to integration due to the democratic deficit. This decline of affective support leaves less room for elites to increase integration. The loyalty system is further divided into horizontal (solidarity with other Europeans) and vertical (attitudes toward the larger members-countries) dimensions. While the former dimension has stagnated, the latter is decreasing. This pattern of the European political community's development is indicative of the issues involving the European Union's legitimacy and also reflects the new, but unmet demands placed on the supranational structure due to the advanced stage of integration. Overall, the analysis indicates that while the societal values are consistent with a federal framework for a fully united Europe, the skepticism produced by the democratic deficit significantly lowers the probability that the average individual would support such a supranational governmental arrangement. The data on public attitudes toward integration: trust for other European Union nationalities, images of member countries, feelings of European identity, support for EU supranational institutions, and levels of education came from the Eurobarometer surveys from 1983 to 1995. I measure the level of integration using an original indicator referred to as the Integration Achievement Score.