Right-wing populism and Islamophobism in Europe and their impact on Turkey–EU relations

This article aims to assess the relationship between populism and immigration in
the European Union and their impact on EU–Turkey relations. Following a
literature review on the current state of populist movements in the EU as well
as on the findings of a comparative fieldwork conducted in Germany, France,
Italy, Greece and the Netherlands, the article seeks to understand and explain
how the debates on migration, refugees, mobility and Islam have an impact
on the rise of extreme right-wing populism. Starting with the depiction of the
main constituents of populist rhetoric in Europe vis-à-vis migrants and
refugees, the article subsequently analyses social-economic, political and
cultural drivers of populist extremism, and the resentment against diversity,
multiculturalism, Islam, immigration and mobility among the supporters of
populist parties in five selected European countries. In the last section of the
article, the impact of right-wing populism and Islamophobia on the EU–
Turkey relations will be analyzed.