The possibility of the emergence of a European demos sharing a ‘European identity’ is long debated in the social sciences. Now national identities have played a dominant role during recent European...Show moreThe possibility of the emergence of a European demos sharing a ‘European identity’ is long debated in the social sciences. Now national identities have played a dominant role during recent European crises, the emergence of and the entrance of the pan-European political movement Volt Europa into the European Parliament seemed unexpected. This study aims to answer the question of what makes a European identity, as expressed by the pan-European movement Volt, salient today in a way that it was not before, through the lens of a case study of Volt Nederland. Based on 17 semi-structured in depth interviews and attending online Volt events, I argue that this European identity has become salient through ‘facilitative’ and ‘triggering’ factors. The two facilitative factors ‘increasing cross-border interactions’ and the ‘institutionalization of universal norms and values’ having set the conditions for the triggering factors ‘increasing salience of transnational challenges’; ‘shifting geopolitical dynamics’; and ‘increasing visibility of exclusive European and national identities through the migration crisis and Brexit’ to activate Volters to give shape to their strategically and unconsciously developed European identities. My findings add to political science literature exposing reasons for European identity salience, a topic that remains underexplored and continuously developing.Show less
