Sheep in wolf’s clothing? Comparing eurosceptic and non-eurosceptic MEPs’ parliamentary behaviour

Often presented as a threat, Eurosceptic MEPs and their strategies have been comparatively understudied so far. At a time when the EU is facing a deep crisis and citizens’ discontent has led to a significant increase in the Eurosceptics’ share of EP seats, it is crucial to analyse empirically whether Eurosceptic MEPs behave in a manner that endangers the legitimacy or the work of the EP of the institution. This article is a first attempt to answer this question. The ambition here is to examine to what extent the behaviour of Eurosceptics differs from the behaviour of non-Eurosceptic MEPs and whether this has evolved over time. Based on an analysis of MEPs’ activities during the 6th, 7th and 8th legislature, this article shows that there is a shift in Eurosceptic behaviour, in the sense of a normalisation of their parliamentary activities.SCOPUS: ar.j