2026/07/01 by Catherine Hoeffler · 1 voice
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #European Union Policy and Governance #Global Financial Regulation and Crises #Policy Transfer and Learning
paper · doi:10.1093/ia/iiag085
openalex publication_date 2026/07/01 · openalex created_date 2026/07/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Is the European Union's much-discussed geopolitical/geo-economic turn towards autonomy more than rhetoric, and how can it be assessed across policy domains? This article argues that the EU's autonomy agenda rests less on normative consensus than on procedural alignment at the level of policy instruments. Drawing on literatures on strategic narratives and ideational approaches to policy change, it distinguishes between two dimensions of autonomy narratives: a normative dimension concerning the meaning and goals of autonomy for the EU, and a procedural dimension concerning how autonomy should be operationalized through policy instruments. Empirically, the article examines EU defence, economic and digital policy since 2019, and identifies two competing autonomy narratives: an Interdependent Union narrative emphasizing the need to govern interdependence and relying on regulatory, market-oriented instruments, and a Sovereign Union one, defining autonomy as self-sufficiency and focusing on domestic capacity-building through fiscal commitments and industrial policy. The central claim is that EU policy-makers continue to compete over the ends of autonomy while converging on procedural solutions, particularly regulatory instruments. This convergence occurs not because they share a common vision, but because regulatory tools can accommodate divergent strategic projects, avoid redistributive conflicts and increasingly serve capacity-building purposes. This finding challenges accounts that interpret regulatory continuity as evidence of modest change, showing instead how the EU advances its turn through procedural compromise while deeper questions about its strategic identity remain contested.