New Challengers of Euroscepticism and Populism – The Case of the Czech Pirate Party

The 2010s in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) were characterized by a rise of populism and Euroscepticism. Yet in a country which has a strong tradition of Euroscepticism in the political sphere, which has experienced a notable surge of populism and whose citizens tend to be rather unenthusiastic about the European Union, a new party challenging those trends emerged. The Czech Pirate Party (Pirates) is a party firmly committed to upholding and bolstering democratic standards, as well as to affirming their country’s place in the European Union. In order to better explain how such a party came to be and how it positions itself, this paper tries to investigate several relevant aspects. First it explores party history and summarizes existing research, showing key characteristics crucial for general understanding of the party itself. This is complemented by an analysis of official party documents, especially focusing on election manifestos. Another critical piece of the puzzle is answered by portraying positioning and debating in relation to other political actors - in particular how it responded to criticisms from the more Eurosceptic and populist figures and parties. Moving beyond the domestic setting, the Pirates’ role and ideas related to the creation of the Pact of Free Cities – co-initiated by the Prague Pirate mayor Zdeněk Hřib – are likewise described. Finally, taking the party’s presence in the European Parliament into account, the paper will also explore the Pirates’ affiliations and actions on a European level.