Introduction: Escaping the Politics Trap? EU Integration Pathways Beyond the Polycrisis

The authors argue that since 2016, the European Union (EU) has been in a state of ‘polycrisis,’ where interconnected challenges threaten its cohesion and legitimacy. They develop an analytical framework elaborating the concepts of polycrises, polycleavages, and politics traps, applying it to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They conclude that, despite initial expectations, the EU has shown more resilience to politicization than anticipated at the beginning of this polycrisis decade.