For many decades, the left-liberal family of social movements remained positively oriented or undecided about the process of European integration. Many activists criticized the neo-liberal ideology that they felt dominated the working of European institutions, but welcomed the cosmopolitanism of the project. They welcomed its attempts to overcome the narrow nationalisms and xenophobic attitudes that they felt were gradually spreading throughout Europe. However, in recent years this context has changed. Several social movement groups and new movement-oriented political formations no longer identify with a pro-European stand. In this context, a split has occurred between Eurosceptic left-liberal formations and pro-EU movement-oriented NGOs that operate at the EU-level receiving funding and seeking legitimacy from EU institutions. This presentation documents this split with reference to EU-level anti-discrimination groups. It examines its nature with reference to the concept of political legitimacy.
