The Populist Politics of Euroscepticism amidst Critical Junctures

Abstract

Euroscepticism is often interpreted as an ideological appendage of peripheral organisations and has been regularly ascribed to a fairly recognisable set of populist radical actors. Euroscepticism and populism can be now regarded as permanent fixtures of European party systems. Over the years, numerous contributions have elaborated on the conceptual contours of opposition to the EU and the process of European integration, the resonance of these frames in the public sphere, and the development of Eurosceptic party-voter links. On the contrary, the evolution and impact of the populist politics of Euroscepticism amidst the recent sovereign debt and refugee crises has yet to bear fruits. It has been simplistically assumed that populist parties would profit from a renewed and radicalised Eurosceptic discourse in response to these crises; however, evidence of similar shifts is at best sparse. The panel seeks to answer a number of interrelated questions focusing on the broader supply of Eurosceptic politics. How did the Eurosceptic stances of populist parties evolve amidst the recent crises? What oppositional elements (e.g. opposition to European integration, the EU, the single currency, immigration quota, etc.) characterise the Eurosceptic frames of these parties – and what would be the suggested solutions? How does ‘the crisis’ fit into these frames? Have populist actors affected party competition on the EU in recent years, or have populist actors reacted to increased party-based Euroscepticism instead? The panel aspires to attract empirical contributions of any methodological persuasion in the form of case studies and comparative analyses focusing on one or more of the 28 EU member states (i.e. East and West European countries).

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