Karaman K. V. Euroscepticism in the program guidelines of radical parliamentary parties of EU countries. – Manuscript.
Thesis for PhD in Speciality 052 – Political Science. – Mariupol State University, Mariupol, Kyiv, 2023.
PhD thesis considers the foundations and characteristics of the concept of Euroscepticism prescribed in the program guidelines of radical right parties and clarifies the evolution of views on the idea of European integration and the EU model in the course of political activity.
Chapter I investigated the evolution of the concept of «Euroscepticism» in the programs of right-wing radical parties in European countries and analyzed the main approaches to Euroscepticism in foreign and domestic literature.
Subsection 1.1. considered the characteristics of the origin and evolution of approaches to understanding the category «Euroscepticism», the main typologies, the essence of the concept of «right-wing radicalism», «right-wing radical party», the interrelationship between Euroscepticism and radicalism is revealed.
Subsection 1.2. analyzed scientific developments on the study, classified the main, current and promising trends in researching this phenomenon, structured the source base is structured and presented the methodology of the study.
Chapter II examined the causes, prerequisites, stages and features of the development of Euroscepticism in modern Europe.
Subsection 2.1. considered the factors that contributed to the spread of this phenomenon in European countries, highlighted the main external factors (globalization, the financial and economic crisis of 2008, the migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic) and internal factors (institutional crisis of the EU, crisis of legitimacy and democracy deficit, economic heterogeneity of EU members, failure of the policy of multiculturalism, Brexit and the problem of the relationship between pan-European and national identity).
Subsection 2.2. identified the characteristics and main prerequisites for the development of Euroscepticism at its different stages, the features of the transition of Eurosceptics from the category of marginals to full-fledged participants in political life (both at the national level and the pan-European level), the factors which contributed to the institutionalization of Euroscepticism, features of the use of Euroscepticism by traditional parties and new radical right parties, regional features of Euroscepticism, characteristic features of Eurosceptic sentiments in different regions of the EU.
Chapter III examined the reflection and evolution of Eurosceptic ideas in the political programs of parties.
Subsection 3.1. highlighted the conditions for the emergence and development of Euroscepticism in the countries that founded the European integration process and whose tandem allowed the implementation of the idea of creating a United Europe, and its reflection in the political programs of the leading right-wing parties: France («The National Rally») and Germany («Alternative for Germany»).
Subsection 3.2. examined the characteristics of Euroscepticism in party documents of radical right-wing political forces in countries belonging to the key regions of Europe: Southern Europe - Spain («The Vox Party») – Finland («The Finns Party»/«the True Finns»), Central and Eastern Europe – Hungary («The Jobbik»).
Subsection 3.3. analyzed the characteristics of Ukrainian right-wing radical parties («Svoboda», «Right Sector», «National Corps»), the prerequisites for their emergence, the evolution of party ideology, involvement in the party struggle, transformation of the position on European integration under the influence of Russian military aggression against Ukraine.
Key words: European Union, European integration, Euroscepticism, European Parliament, right-wing radicalism, party system, political parties, right-wing radical party, parliamentary elections, populism, mainstream party.
