Can cosmopolitanism fix the EU? : a case study of the pan-European political movement Volt Europa

Abstract: Cosmopolitan theory has long argued that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected. Through borderless phenomena such as climate change, and through globalizing processes such as cross-border mobility and the global market, we are becoming increasingly aware of their social and political impact as global news and debates fill our social media channels. To this end, cosmopolitan theory argues that politics and academia are no longer capable of understanding these processes from the point of view of the nation-state. While the European Union presents a prime example of a cosmopolitan model, attempting to actively tackles these challenges transnationally, the sovereign member states remain the primary point of departure for politics and democratic participation, rendering the governance body largely ineffective. Amidst an increasing awareness of these shortcomings and the growth of Eurosceptic movements in recent years, a new movement is establishing itself with the mission to reform the EU and tackle such challenges head-on: Volt Europa. The thesis employs a case study methodology in order to gain a holistic understanding of the growing political movement as a European expression of cosmopolitanism. It argues that the study of Volt Europa, a political movement and party aiming to reform the European Union through a pan-European platform, reveals significant findings about the current deficiencies of European democracy and how they can be resolved. The thesis argues that this approach is grounded in a cosmopolitan democratic and communicative framework, which reveals evident expressions of this phenomenon. The thesis aims to describe this expression in the larger context of the EU, while simultaneously aiming to prescribe how a cosmopolitan approach may be a solution to the deficiencies of European democracy. The findings reveal that this fix may very much be grounded in an emerging cross-cultural communicative framework for EU citizens, and a growing public sphere based on digital democratic participation.