Transnational Populism and the Contestation of EU Enlargement

The rise of populist radical right (PRR) parties inside the European parliament, and in a range of member states, has been met with concern over how their collective strengthening may affect discourses and policy-making not only nationally, but also at the EU level. We investigate this question with regards to EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans and Turkey. Building on an original dataset of over 15 000 statements about membership in the EU parliament and a selection of six member states, we analyse the evolution of deliberative discourses since the 2004 enlargement. Using political claim analysis to trace change in discourses, we analyse whether PRR parties share similar positions and align around a common narrative contesting enlargement towards the current group of candidate countries, or whether their positions and framing more closely reflect national traditions. Our empirical analysis indicates the gradual development of a common PRR position articulated around migration and Islam as core reasons for contestation. Our findings feed into debates on transnational cooperation of populist parties and studies centred on different manifestations of Euroscepticism at the national and EU levels.