Right-wing Populism and the European Union

Abstract

Since its inception the European Union has transformed itself from a mere economic partnershipto a regional cooperation, supposedly, embodying laws and values ‘universally’ accepted as‘good’. This very character has encouraged the EU to pursue the role of a global actor that notonly personifies this ‘value-system’ but also strives at disseminating them into the rest of theworld. But, over the years the rise of right-wing populism throughout Europe has threatened tochallenge some of the core orientating aspects of this ‘value-system’. While electoral victorieshave demonstrated their ability to impact the character of the EU within its boundaries, this studywonders what impact the rise of the right-wing populism could have on the European Union as aglobal actor.Key words: Far-right, Right wing populism, European Union, Global Actor, Foreign Policy