Introduction: the European Union beyond the polycrisis? Integration and politicization in an age of shifting cleavages

Over the past decade, the EU has faced multiple crises. In the introduction to this collection, we argue that this 'polycrisis' is fracturing the European political system across multiple, simultaneous rifts, thereby creating a 'polycleavage'. As a consequence, the EU is caught in a 'politics trap'. Similar to other decision traps, this multi-level politics trap is dysfunctional, but difficult to escape altogether. The contributions to this collection analyze the mechanisms of the politics trap, its relationship to the European polycrisis, and the strategies pursued by a plurality of actors (the Commission, the European Parliament, national governments) to cope with its constraints. In light of this analysis, we argue that comprehensive, 'grand' bargains are for the moment out of reach, but national and supranational actors can find ways of 'relaxing' the politics trap and in so doing perhaps lay the foundations for more ambitious future solutions.