Populists in EU Governance: Behaviour, Motivations, Implications

Abstract

This panel examines the manifestations, motivations and implications of populist behaviour across the multiple contexts of EU governance. The EU has never been a place of unconditional cooperation. It is not uncommon for mainstream actors to violate procedural norms, insist on maximum positions or even undermine existing regulations to reach policy-related goals. Yet, populist actors display a distinct type of transgressive behaviours that is driven by more fundamental purposes. Recent research highlights their systematic efforts to contest norms and question the EU’s legitimacy even if such behaviour harms their immediate political interests. Interestingly, this behaviour has included direct challenges and instances of politicisation of the EU polity but also indirect challenges of the EU polity through blocking specific policy decisions, using the respective controversies to mobilise against the EU. This panel aims to advance our understanding of the nature, conditions and implications of populist behaviour for the EU’s policies, politics and polity. Contributions propose frameworks that distinguish systematic challenges from ordinary instances of uncooperative behaviour to assess the specific role of populist actors within the various EU institutions. Furthermore, they examine the conditions under which populist actors challenge the EU polity and the motivations that drive their actions. Regarding the implications, papers study the compliance of populist governments with the EU's fiscal rules. Furthermore, contributions examine mainstream responses to populist challenges and assess their capacity to maintain the functionality of EU policymaking. The panel aims to showcase the diversity of theoretical perspectives, concepts and methodological strategies through which scholars study the role of populist behaviour and its implications in the EU.

Title	Details
Between Principle and Pragmatism: How MEPs Navigate the Cordon Sanitaire	View Paper Details
When ‘the people’ meet ‘the pact’ – populism and compliance with EU fiscal rules	View Paper Details
„Unpolitics“ in EU policymaking: The role of Austria, Czechia, Italy and Poland in policymaking around the European Green Deal and the Asylum and Migration Pact	View Paper Details
Handling the Bullies: Mainstream Strategies of Countering Populist Obstructions in the European Council and the Council	View Paper Details
‘We won’t let Brussels dictate us’: Eurosceptic populism in Hungary and Poland	View Paper Details