Populism, EU Institutions and Civil Society

This paper focuses on how the ‘populist turn’ of recent years affected EU institutions and non-state actors which interact with them. It argues that in the broader context of the legacy of the 2007 financial crisis, the success of populist parties and movements impacted on the composition, agendas, emotions and political discourse of European institutional actors, and is then negatively reflected in the prospects of non-state actors that interact with them, their funding opportunities and strategies. It argues that a as a consequence of the impact of populist formations a fragmented reaction has occurred in each of the institutional domains considered – the European Commission, the Parliament and civil society organizations. In particular, the success of populist forces in several member states and at EU level specifically affected inclusionary anti-discrimination organizations. Changes have occurred in their perceptions of legitimacy and general political opportunities, and also in the structure of their networks, which increasingly diverge between a pro-EU and an anti EU component.