Learning from populists? Unveiling populist narratives on the EU and charting paths to resistance

Abstract

This study analyses populist narratives on the EU, and investigates, which weaknesses and chances for amelioration in the EU´s framework exist, and how non-populist actors could respond to them. Six populist parties’ narratives on the EU (European Union) from four different EU countries and with different political orientations were investigated using research literature and by analysing their election manifestos of as well as their Facebook campaign for the European elections 2024. The analysis showed that the narratives of the EU being undemocratic, the EU restricting its member states sovereignty and the EU being elitist, are present in most populist narratives, independent of their political orientation. Moreover, they are based on comprehensible assumptions such as e.g., the democratic deficit, but the main issue of the EU identified, is a lack in effective communication of the functioning of the EU. Moreover, the thesis finds, that the struggle against populism inside the EU, is intrinsically connected to the effort of further establishing the EU in European public. The thesis concludes that pro-EU political communication might be the most effective strategy to both promoting the EU and tackling populism.