Prospects of European engagement: uniting or dividing? A case study of governing Eurooptimist parties in Czechia.

Over the last two decades, Europe's political landscape has witnessed a notable surge in support for Eurosceptic parties, reshaping traditional political dynamics. The Czech political landscape has mirrored these changes, transitioning from initial European enthusiasm to growing Euroscepticism. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 313 - 331
Main Authors: Zapletalová, Veronika Velička, Kutnarová, Pavlína
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jun2026
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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Summary:Over the last two decades, Europe's political landscape has witnessed a notable surge in support for Eurosceptic parties, reshaping traditional political dynamics. The Czech political landscape has mirrored these changes, transitioning from initial European enthusiasm to growing Euroscepticism. The 2021 coalition government signifies a departure from this trend comprising five parties, with four pro-European (KDU-ČSL, TOP09, STAN, Pirates) and ODS labelled soft Eurosceptic. The study examines narratives of the governmental political parties in the Czech Chamber of Deputies. Also, it focuses on the narratives of the members of the European Parliament of the respective parties, identifying dominant themes emphasizing Czech EU membership and a Euro-Atlantic value-based anchor. Contrary to expectations, the analysis reveals a notable absence of Eurosceptic narratives even within the generally labelled soft Eurosceptic party ODS. The study also highlights the ideological shift within parties and suggests the need to reevaluate the theoretical concepts of Euroscepticism and Eurooptimism.