Analyzing the effects of microregions on macroregions: Can Euroregions legitimize the European Union?

As a polity, the European Union (EU) is lacking in political legitimacy; that is, several failed referenda seem to indicate that the citizens of Europe are no longer consenting to be ruled by Brussels. This Thesis asserts that Euroregions, cross-border cooperative microregions, have the potential to become an essential local level interface that can connect the marginalized residents of the member states directly to the EU. The activities and projects taking place along the borders should persuade the people living within the jurisdictions of the Euroregions to look more favorably upon the EU's actions and therefore increase the legitimacy of the European macroregion. To test this hypothesis, France and Poland were taken as case studies and voting data were analyzed to see if Euroregion residents were more or less likely to support Eurosceptic parties. Although the results were inconclusive, the potential for future study of Euroregions remains intriguing.