“De-legitimizing Europe”: Is the EU doing so on purpose?

The EU is commonly perceived as fueling its lack of legitimacy through counter-productive policies. According to an innovative hypothesis, this is a deliberate strategy based on the theory of “upside-down legitimacy,” which aims to polarize opinions and push opposition to the extreme in order to turn it back to one's advantage in the long run. New empirical data is used to test whether this scenario is fact or fiction; these are then set in the context of the current debate on the nature and justification of the European political order. This article is a parody for the fiftieth issue of Politique européenne.