In this conversation with Professor Holden we examine how the EU exercised power during Brexit, interrogating the interplay of communication, institutional structures and rhetorical strategy. We discuss surprising findings on structural power, the negotiation styles of Barnier and De Rynck, and the reforms the EU’s external action apparatus may need to preserve influence into 2025.
Dr. Patrick Holden is an Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Plymouth, where he leads the Online Master's programme in International Relations: Security and Development.
His research focuses on the European Union's external relations, international political economy, and development policy. Widely published and active in policy debates, he brings both academic depth and practical insight to questions of Europe's global role and the future of international order.
Content
00:00 – Introduction
01:54 – Why link the EU with hegemony? A Neo-Gramscian view
04:56 – EU power during Brexit: communication and political actions
07:28 – Structural power: how EU institutions shaped Brexit
11:43 – Surprising findings on EU structural power
13:42 – EU values vs. interests: norms as a tool of influence
16:10 – UK rejection of EU principles and vulnerabilities of integration
20:04 – Who understood vulnerabilities better: the EU or the UK?
21:25 – Researching vulnerabilities as a scholar
23:18 – Barnier, De Rynck, and rhetorical strategies in Brexit talks
26:56 – Power balance in EU–UK negotiations
28:47 – Barnier and De Rynck: communication styles and strategy
31:39 – Lessons from Barnier and De Rynck’s negotiation styles
33:05 – Why rhetoric matters: qualitative insights on EU hegemony
34:49 – Have scholars studied Brexit enough?
37:30 – Brexit’s impact on EU relations with non-members
43:18 – Should the EU’s External Action Service gain more power?
45:15 – Brexit as a test of EU hegemonic resilience
49:31 – EU hegemony in the shadow of US hegemony
56:20 – What EU hegemony needs in 2025
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