scholarly journals Anti-Neoliberal Neoliberalism: Post-Socialism and Bulgaria’s “Ataka” Party

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Marinos
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Neoliberal Economics ◽  
Cultural Project ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Scholarly Attention ◽  
The Eu

The last elections (2014) for European Union deputies once again confirmed the popularity of far-right parties. Despite scholarly attention, racism and xenophobia in the easternmost part of the EU, remain relatively unexplored. This essay focuses on Ataka, the first far-right political party to enter Bulgaria’s parliament after 1989. Specifically, the article focuses on its official media discourse in order to explain its complex position on neoliberalism. While this party engages in criticisms of neoliberalism, its understanding of it is non-economic and ambiguous. A rhetorical analysis of the party’s newspaper reveals that angry attitudes towards neoliberal economics fuel movements such as Ataka. However, Ataka often presents neoliberalism as a cultural project focused on multiculturalism, “Islamization”, and anti-nationalism. The essay explores this strategy to fuse economic demands with issues of identity. As such, this piece calls for a more nuanced understanding not only of the discourse of contemporary far-right movements, but also of neoliberalism itself.

scholarly journals Italy’s Lega Nord: Changing Poses in a Shifting National and European landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Longo
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Party ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Politics ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Member States ◽  
Lega Nord ◽  
Eu Project ◽  
The Eu

This article examines changing approaches to ethnicity and nationalism of the Lega Nord (LN), a populist far-right political party in Italy, against a backdrop of growing anti-EU and anti-immigrant sentiment. The article reflects on the contexts in which populist and far right politics are taking hold in Italy and in the European Union (EU), with the LN used to illustrate this dynamic. The EU is shaping national politics in new and unexpected ways. The article concludes that the LN is seizing the opportunity to recast itself in Italy by adopting a national anti-euro, anti-austerity, anti-EU project at the same time that populist parties in other member states of the EU are capitalising on deepening societal insecurity and growing opposition to the EU, the euro, immigration and EU-imposed austerity.

Neoliberals against Europe

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quinn Slobodian ◽  
Dieter Plehwe
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Debt Crisis ◽  
European Politics ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Explanatory Framework ◽  
European Debt Crisis ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

Since the advent of the European debt crisis in 2009, it has become common to hear descriptions of the European Union as a neoliberal machine hardwired to enforce austerity and to block projects of redistribution or solidarity. Yet by adopting an explanatory framework associating neoliberalism with supranational organizations like the EU, NAFTA, and the WTO against the so-called populism of its right-wing opponents, many observers have painted themselves into a corner. The problems with a straightforward compound of “neoliberal Europe” became starkly evident with the success of the “leave” vote in the Brexit referendum in 2016. If the EU was neoliberal, were those who called to abandon it the opponents of neoliberalism? If the EU is indeed the “neoliberalism express,” then to disembark was by definition a gesture of refusal against neoliberalism. To make sense of the resurgent phenomenon of the far right in European politics, then, our chapter tracks such continuities over time and avoids misleading dichotomies that pit neoliberal globalism—and neoliberal Europeanism—against an atavistic national populism. The closed-borders libertarianism of nationalist neoliberals like the German AfD is not a rejection of globalism but is a variety of it.

Przyszłość Unii Europejskiej po Brexicie. Rosyjski punkt widzenia

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 201-213
Author(s):  
Valentina Prudskaya
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Desk Research ◽  
The Eu

In recent years, it is difficult not to notice the growing number of serious crises experienced by the European Union. It is clear that the old methods of overcoming crises in today’s reality do not work anymore. The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in June 2016 (the so-called Brexit) can undoubtedly be called a special turning point in the existence and functioning of the EU. The aim of the article is to present, analyse and compare opinions and assessments created in the expert and academic environment in Russia on the future of the European Union after the referendum in Great Britain. Another goal is to find an answer to the question of what future of relations between the EU and Russia is expected by Russian researchers and experts. In the article the following research methods were used: desk research, critical analysis, comparative method and analysis of media discourse.

Gender-specific constructions of the ‘other religion’ in French and Austrian discourse on Turkey’s accession to the European Union

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Bischof ◽  
Florian Oberhuber ◽  
Karin Stögner
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
The Other ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Discourses ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
The Eu

This article presents results from a qualitative analysis of religious and gender-specific ‘othering’ in Austrian and French media discourse on Turkey’s accession to the EU (2004–2006). A typology of arguments justifying inclusion and exclusion of Turkey from Europe or the EU is presented, and gender-specific othering is placed in the context of differing national discourses about Europe and diverging visions of secularisation and citizenship. Secondly, various topoi of orientalism are reconstructed which play a crucial role in both national corpora, and it is shown how various historically shaped discourses of alterity intersect and produce gendered images of cultural and religious otherness.

scholarly journals After the Dust Has Settled: How to Construct the New Accession Agreement After Opinion 2/13 of the CJEU

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 919-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Przemyslaw Tacik
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
European Convention ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Legal Thinking ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Scholarly Attention ◽  
The Eu

Since December 18, 2014, when the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued its notorious Opinion 2/13, the conclusions of the Court have been a subject of numerous analyzes and debates—often sharp in their criticism. Now that the content of the Opinion seems fairly elucidated, the scholarly attention should turn towards searching for practical solutions to the CJEU's demands. This Article aims to provide a list of possible solutions to each requirement of the Opinion and assessing their pros and cons. Instead of concentrating on the obstacles posed by the Court, it is incumbent to address the problems with innovative legal thinking and save the project of the EU acceding to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

scholarly journals Review of "Uniunea Europeană – un trend în derivă? O analiză a discursului mediatic și a perspectivei tinerilor" (The European Union – a Drifting Trend? An Analysis of Media Discourse and Youth Perspectives) by Oana Ștefăniță, Comunicare.ro, 2017

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Georgiana Udrea
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
The Political ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Public ◽  
Southern States ◽  
The Future ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Eu

In recent times, the European Union has been confronted with huge challenges and crises, which, in the absence of prompt and effective measures, call into question the future of the European project itself. The political incongruities, the disintegrating tendencies culminating with Brexit, the divisions between northern and southern states over economic crisis and austerity measures, the refugee waves and their poor integration into society, the rise of populist and extremist currents, etc. have caused anger, confusion and fear among Europeans, influencing the relations between member states and public perceptions. In this unstable context, studying people’s opinion on the EU and its subtle mechanisms becomes an important and pragmatic effort, as the public has the means to pursue action based on its feelings of support or opposition towards the community block. Oana Ștefăniță’s book, Uniunea Europeană – un trend în derivă? proposes such an insight into the world of young European citizens, investigating their interest in European issues, the EU’s place on the agenda of interpersonal conversations, the way they understand and experience the feeling of European belonging, and their perspectives on the future of the Union.

scholarly journals The Causes and Effects of Leaks in International Negotiations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Castle ◽  
KJ Pelc
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Economic Liberalization ◽  
International Negotiations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
Internal Communications ◽  
The Eu

International negotiations are founded on secrecy. Yet, unauthorized leaks of negotiating documents have grown common. What are the incentives behind leaks, and what are their effects on bargaining between states? Specifically, are leaks offensive or defensive: are they intended to spur parties to make more ambitious commitments, or are they more often intended to claw back commitments made? We examine these questions in the context of trade negotiations, the recurring form of which affords us rare empirical traction on an otherwise elusive issue. We assemble the first dataset of its kind, covering 120 discrete leaks from 2006 to 2015. We find that leaks are indeed rising in number. Leaks are clustered around novel legal provisions and appear to be disproportionately defensive: they serve those actors intent on limiting commitments made. The European Union (EU) appears responsible for the majority of leaks occurring worldwide. Using party manifesto data to track changing ideological positions within the EU, we find that the occurrence of leaks correlates with opposition to economic liberalization within the average EU political party. Moreover, leaks appear effective in shifting public debate. We examine trade officials' internal communications and media coverage in the wake of a specific leak of negotiations between Canada and the EU. A given negotiating text attracts more negative coverage when it is leaked than when the same text is officially released. In sum, political actors leak information strategically to mobilize domestic audiences toward their preferred negotiating outcome.

scholarly journals Hungary and the Indirect Protection of EU Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1959-1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Dawson ◽  
Elise Muir
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Far Right ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Fundamental Values ◽  
Eu Fundamental Rights ◽  
The Eu

According to Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, the European Union is a political and economic union founded on a respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law, referred to hereafter as EU fundamental values. The central place of this commitment in the EU Treaties suggests a founding assumption: That the EU is a Union of states who themselves see human rights and the rule of law as irrevocable parts of their political and legal order. Reminiscent of the entry of Jorg Haider's far-right Freedom Party into the Austrian government in 2000, the events of 2012 have done much to shake that assumption; questioning both how interwoven the rule of law tradition is across the present-day EU, and the role the EU ought to play in policing potential violations of fundamental rights carried out via the constitutional frameworks of its Member States. Much attention in this field, much like the focus of this paper, has been placed on events in one state in particular: Hungary.

scholarly journals The Causes and Effects of Leaks in International Negotiations

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1147-1162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Castle ◽  
Krzysztof J Pelc
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Economic Liberalization ◽  
International Negotiations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
Internal Communications ◽  
The Eu

Abstract International negotiations are founded on secrecy. Yet, unauthorized leaks of negotiating documents have grown common. What are the incentives behind leaks, and what are their effects on bargaining between states? Specifically, are leaks offensive or defensive: are they intended to spur parties to make more ambitious commitments, or are they more often intended to claw back commitments made? We examine these questions in the context of trade negotiations, the recurring form of which affords us rare empirical traction on an otherwise elusive issue. We assemble the first dataset of its kind, covering 120 discrete leaks from 2006 to 2015. We find that leaks are indeed rising in number. Leaks are clustered around novel legal provisions and appear to be disproportionately defensive: they serve those actors intent on limiting commitments made. The European Union (EU) appears responsible for the majority of leaks occurring worldwide. Using party manifesto data to track changing ideological positions within the EU, we find that the occurrence of leaks correlates with opposition to economic liberalization within the average EU political party. Moreover, leaks appear effective in shifting public debate. We examine trade officials’ internal communications and media coverage in the wake of a specific leak of negotiations between Canada and the EU. A given negotiating text attracts more negative coverage when it is leaked than when the same text is officially released. In sum, political actors leak information strategically to mobilize domestic audiences toward their preferred negotiating outcome.

scholarly journals Multi-level governance in a ‘Europe with the regions’

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 767-775
Author(s):  
Arjan H Schakel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Multilevel Governance ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
National Governments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Scholarly Attention ◽  
The Eu

The concept of multilevel governance was introduced to reveal the impact of regions on European Union (EU) policy making in Brussels. In this contribution, I show that multilevel governance also exposes regional involvement in EU affairs within the member states. In contrast to perspectives that focus on formal decision-making by central governments, multilevel governance uncovers significant sharing of authority between governmental actors within and beyond national states even in cases where the formal right to make a decision lies with national governments or the EU legislator. I argue that the concept of multilevel governance is key for understanding developments within a three-tiered EU polity because it directs scholarly attention to the incentives for regions to be involved in EU affairs and for national governments and EU institutions to share their authority with regions.

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