The Limits of EUropean Legitimacy: On Populism and Technocracy. Introduction to the Special Issue

This article introduces the special issue on populism and technocracy in integration governance of European Union (EU), framing these opposing approaches context polarised debate (il)legitimacy EU. The was conceived as an interdisciplinary approach to questions EU’s legitimacy aftermath structural crises (the eurozone, sovereign debt election appointment governing agents) spontaneous (migration, external state non-state security challenges, Brexit Euroscepticism). Since issue’s conception unanticipated Covid-19 pandemic, responses from EU its member states (current former) starkly illuminated debates how should operate, limits power popular legitimacy. era passive consensus has been replaced by claims based active expert-informed intervention, alongside populist inherent illegitimacy undemocratic technocracy. As such objective is critically analyse manifold ways which populist-technocratic divide narrated performed different regions, disciplines, social political systems growing internal challenges Union. We observe that institutions remain highly adaptable responding but member-states have continued accelerated a tendency nationalise success Europeanise failure, with acting perennial scapegoat largely due ease it can be site projection for mistrust, resentment, grievances. argue relationship between rapidly evolving imagined binary into much more fluid, overlapping, reversible set narratives. conclude despite changing nature resilience adaptability EU, faces accelerating new ‘politics necessity’.