Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the politics of legitimating the European Union (EU). It traces the gradual emergence of citizens from the shadows into the foreground of the politics of the Union and of theories of European integration. The book then demonstrates that fear, hope, doubt, love, hate, identity, indifference and trust are all part of a cocktail of emotions that influence how claims to legitimate the Union are received by citizens. It also argues that non-compliance with the Dublin Convention and the Common European Asylum System during the migration crisis of 2015 did not lead to wider erosion of border-free Europe or of the Union’s co-ordination of its external boundaries. The book investigates how far the European Commission’s decision on state aid to Apple was contested by the Irish government and predominantly national media.