An Exceptional Case? Party and Popular Euroscepticism in Greece, 1959–2009

Abstract

The first diachronic study of Greek opposition to European integration reveals a story of surge, decline and limited renewal. With a time frame of the past 50 years, the article identifies key turning points and examines the changing pattern of party stands on the European Community and European Union, the extent to which the Greek case conforms to expectations about Eurosceptic parties' ideological affiliation and status as protest parties, and the Eurosceptic parties' policy impact. Investigating trends in mass attitudes, it finds a relative ‘goodness of fit’ between public opinion and electoral support for Eurosceptic parties.