EUPopLink Country report - Poland

Abstract

Euroscepticism and populism are phenomena that have strongly engaged researchers in recent decades. Based on the example of Polish political parties, it can be argued that these two attributes often co-occur. Moreover, it appears that, in the case of Polish parties, the more pronounced a party’s populism, the stronger its Euroscepticism. Such a conclusion aligns well with the assumptions of the project within which this text was prepared (COST Action CA23102 “Linking euroscepticism and populism: causes and consequences” (EUPopLink)). The relationship between populism and Euroscepticism in the strategies of Polish political parties can be considered specific due to the role of the Catholic Church in the narratives of populist-Eurosceptic actors, who perceive the European Union as a threat to the Catholic identity of Polish society.