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euroscepticism

August 6, 2026

Why anti-EU rhetoric persists without an anti-EU public

Zoe Gueli Zoe Gueli argues that in Italy, the anti-Brussels rhetoric of governing right-wing party Fratelli d’Italia survives not because Italians are Eurosceptic, but because its rhetoric functions as a domestic political tool – one that EU institutions are structurally unable to counter Read more
May 7, 2026

Political earthquake in Bulgaria: landslide victory in parliamentary elections

Milen Lyubenov Milen Lyubenov and Dragomir Stoyanov argue that the Bulgarian parliamentary elections of April 2026 may well have resolved a five-year political crisis through a landslide victory for ex-President Rumen Radev’s new political formation, ‘Progressive Bulgaria’ Read more
October 9, 2025

Why the EU’s democratic deficit persists

Jan Pieter Beetz Pro-EU MEPs have long pursued a logic of democratisation based on institutional mimicry. But as Jan Pieter Beetz, Gilles Pittoors and Wouter Wolfs argue, this path has become ideologically entrenched at the expense of alternative models that might better connect with European citizens Read more
September 2, 2025

Are European Parliament elections really ‘second-order elections’?

Ugur Tekiner European elections are traditionally seen as less significant than national elections. But Ugur Tekiner argues that the recent challenges facing the EU force us to rethink this classification. Recent European elections accurately reflect the national political mood in Member States, and reveal the growing polarisation around Europe Read more
July 31, 2025

🧭 Can the EU overcome Hungary’s veto on Ukrainian membership?

Tyyne Karjalainen Hungary’s blocking behaviour risks derailing Ukraine’s fragile pro-European momentum. If not addressed, it could fuel Euroscepticism, embolden authoritarian spoilers, and hollow out the EU’s enlargement promise. Tyyne Karjalainen explores what options are on the table to restore credibility to the accession process Read more
May 21, 2025

🧭 The risks of wartime politicisation of enlargement 

Miruna Butnaru-Troncotă Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine forced the EU to revive its enlargement agenda, but growing politicisation risks sidelining the Western Balkans yet again. Miruna Butnaru Troncotă argues that the EU's future credibility and cohesion hinge on treating Western Balkan integration just as urgently as Eastern enlargement Read more
June 26, 2024

Bulgaria’s political turbulence continues. But is this protest democracy or 'stabilitocracy'?

Ivaylo Dinev On Sunday 9 June 2024, Bulgaria went to the polls for the sixth parliamentary elections in three years. Bulgaria's political crisis, however, is far from over, writes Ivaylo Dinev Read more
June 4, 2024

How real is the threat of the populist far right in the European Parliament elections?

James F. Downes James F. Downes argues that elections to the European Parliament will likely lead to record representation for populist far-right parties. Lack of unity and ideological divisions, however, will make it difficult for the far right to wield any real power Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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