Linking Euroscepticism and Populism (EUPopLink)

This paper introduces the conceptual framework and methodological tools of the EUPopLink COST Action (CA23102), which investigates the complex and evolving relationship between populism and Euroscepticism across Europe. While these phenomena are frequently conflated, this project argues that their nexus is contingent and strategic rather than deterministic; not all populists are inherently Eurosceptic, and Euroscepticism does not always mirror populist logic. To unpack this dynamic, we examine how the European Union is constructed as a technocratic "other" across distinct ideological traditions, contrasting traditionalist-authoritarian-nationalist (TAN) right-wing populism with left-wing socio-economic critiques. The paper highlights how these ideological positions yield distinct party behaviors under the pressures of the contemporary "polycrisis" era, shifting between institutional pragmatism and radicalized communicative rhetoric. Crucially, we present the empirical backbone of the project designed to bridge the "supply" and "demand" sides of European politics. This includes an overview of the EUPopLink Survey, which captures citizen attitudes and voting behavior, alongside a presentation of the EUPopLink Open Research Europe (ORE) collection—a centralized, open-access repository compiling comprehensive country-specific reports and other EUPopLink output to foster comparative European research