European sovereignty: narratives in times of crisis

European sovereignty has become one of the most politically charged and conceptually contested ideas in the European Union (EU). Previously absent from the EU’s vocabulary, this has now become a central part of the core debate in light of successive crises. These include: French President Macron’s Sorbonne speech in 2017 responding to Brexit; the climate crisis; and general geopolitical turmoil. The notion of sovereignty has been part of narratives and counter-narratives within the European integration process, pointing to the conceptual requirement that it extends beyond the nation state’s Westphalian order. This paper investigates the construction of European sovereignty as a ‘speech act’. Empirically, the paper analyses not only how these conceptual notions are applied in EU strategic communications and by political leaders, but also how sovereignty is further interpreted and implemented within EU institutions. Using narrative analysis, the paper traces the formative phase during which European sovereignty emerged as a central concept within the EU. At an institutional level, sovereignty and strategic autonomy have become interchangeable concepts that practitioners use as reference points for further action. At a political level, there are two narratives that create tensions: (1) the sovereignty relationships regulator narrative; and (2) the sovereignty enabler narrative.