When regional becomes European: a comparison of populist approaches to the refugee crisis

Waves of immigration have deeply divided European societies. The rise and diversification of populist movements in many EU member states has led to a resurgence of the political and cultural conflict between the “native Europeans” and “the others”. Using the refugee crisis as a case study, this article analyses the development of the main populist parties in France, Germany, and Italy to explain why, despite relative success in their countries, they have failed to impose their views on non-European immigrants at the EU level. The European Parliament elections in May 2019 are seen as the starting point for the observable decline of populists, but this article has identified a mix of other causes for their relative setback. Populists appeared to gain significant support at the local and regional level but failed to initiate a constructive dialogue with mainstream parties at the European level regarding the refugee crisis. This material provides explanations for these facts and some predictions about the short-term development of populist leaders and movements.