When the Going Gets Tough: Who should take responsibility in times of crisis – European or national institutions?

The chapter explores in a sample of European Union countries the opinions of citizens and national politicians on the distribution of institutional responsibility in times of crisis. Using the EUENGAGE survey, the aim is to assess how attitudes towards the EU have changed during the past decade, and what the preferred level of government (PLG) is for each crisis field (economy, security, immigration). The chapter highlights differences between public opinion and political elites, and among member states and discusses to what extent these differences can sustain or hinder steps forward in the direction of a stronger common solidarity and deeper integration. Beside the country factor a series of individual level factors are then analysed to explain variations in support for the European level of government and figure out the plausibility of different scenarios concerning the future of the EU.