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European Party Groups (EPGs)

Definition: Political groups in the European Parliament that organize MEPs by political ideology rather than nationality.
National parties join broader European groups with similar political views.
Examples include the European People’s Party (center-right) and Socialists & Democrats (center-left).
EPGs coordinate voting, leadership positions, and legislative strategy within Parliament.
Exam connection: Topic #4; shows how EU politics creates political competition across national borders.

Protest vote

Definition: A vote primarily intended to express dissatisfaction with established parties or the current government, rather than strong support for the chosen party.
Voters may choose smaller, opposition, or anti-establishment parties to “send a message.”
Especially relevant in European Parliament elections, which can be treated as lower-stakes second-order elections.
Exam connection: Topics #4 and #5; helps explain why Eurosceptic parties can perform strongly in European elections.

The Petit Oui, The Danish No

Both refer to 1992 referendums on the Maastricht Treaty, which deepened European integration and created the EU.
Denmark: voters narrowly rejected Maastricht (50.7% No); after Denmark received several opt-outs, voters approved it in a second referendum in 1993.
France: voters barely approved Maastricht, about 51% Yes, earning the result the name petit oui (“little yes”).
Why it matters: Both revealed growing public resistance to European integration and the decline of the earlier “permissive consensus.”
Exam connection: Topic #5; important evidence for the rise of Euroscepticism.

Benchmark Theory

Definition: De Vries’s theory that people judge the EU by comparing EU membership with the alternative of their country being outside the EU.
If people think their country could do better outside the EU, Euroscepticism is more likely.
If being outside seems worse than membership, support for the EU should be stronger.
Evaluations depend partly on a country’s own economic and political conditions, which provide the “benchmark” for judging the EU.
Exam connection: Topic #5; explains variation in Euroscepticism across countries and over time.

Hard vs. soft euroskepticism

Hard Euroscepticism: Fundamental opposition to the EU/integration itself, potentially favoring withdrawal from the EU.
Soft Euroscepticism: Accepts EU membership/integration generally but opposes particular EU policies or further integration.
Think: Hard = “leave/reject the project”; Soft = “stay, but change/limit it.”
Exam connection: Topic #5; shows that Euroscepticism varies in intensity and type, rather than all EU criticism being the same.

Brexit

Definition: The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, following the 2016 referendum.
In the referendum, 51.9% voted Leave and 48.1% Remain; the UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020.
Explanations for the Leave vote include Euroscepticism, concerns about sovereignty and immigration, economic dissatisfaction, and distrust of political elites.
Voting varied strongly by region, education, and age, showing Brexit reflected broader social and political divisions.
Exam connection: Topic #5; Brexit is the key case for applying theories about the causes and consequences of Euroscepticism.

Supply Side vs Demand Side of Brexit