ABSTRACT
In the context of its waning political fortunes, the European Union (EU) represents the only electoral realm where the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has maintained a stable presence. The party’s traditionally negative approach to the EU has changed over time, shifting from opposition to pragmatism or realism, and has involved programmatic and organizational change. Such developments, however, are not symptomatic of a process of Europeanization as defined by Ladrech (2002). Instead they are indicative of the ways in which the UUP has sought to use the European arena as a means to secure domestic political and electoral advantage. Changing approaches to the EU have occurred in tandem with the emergence of a rational civic form of unionism during the 1990s. Occasioned by wider political developments, this ‘new unionism’ marked a radical shift in UUP strategy. It was an approach grounded in pragmatism and built upon a modernization agenda involving organizational change. The UUP–EU dynamic is built on similar foundations. The impact of ‘new unionism’ on the UUP party is thus broadly spread, embracing new and pragmatic approaches to both constitutional politics and policy positions, including the EU. Crucially, it should not be confused with a process of Europeanization.
