Postgraduate Researchers

PhD Research Student - School of Social Sciences, Law and Education

Project title: Populism's growing influence within the EU: an examination of the conservative turn in EU asylum policy.

Project abstract:

The EU ‘refugee crisis’ of 2015 saw 1 million people seeking asylum at EU borders. This resulted in increased popularity for anti-immigration and populist right-leaning parties within Europe, including Victor Orban’s right-wing party Fidesz in Hungary. In 2025, migratory pressure is once again mounting upon the EU. 1.1 million asylum applications were lodged in the EU in 2023, an increase of 18% on 2021, which is the highest since 2015/16. In addition, there are over 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees in receipt of temporary protection in the bloc. There is a notable increase in support for the far-right across the EU, with immigration remaining the polarising issue. The immediate and long-term impact of populism upon EU asylum policy is thus a relevant matter of academic concern. 

This research will examine the evolution of EU asylum policy and the growth of populism in the period since World War II. It begins with an overview of the political and legal framework of the EU, before examining the growth of populism within that context. The research will proceed to examine asylum flows to Europe in the past 10 years, and the link between asylum and populism. The thesis ultimately argues that the asylum policies of the EU have become more right leaning following the 2015 refugee crisis. It is contended that this has been influenced by the growth of populism within the EU institutions and the domestic politics of various EU Member States. 

In order to prove this hypothesis, the research will involve a comparative analysis of the existing instruments that comprise the EU asylum framework, and the instruments to be implemented under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The thesis will examine if the EU’s proposed asylum policy falls short of its legal obligations to those who are seeking asylum in Europe. 

The research will raise awareness of the causes and impact of the conservative turn in EU asylum policy, and will highlight the vulnerabilities in the political framework of the EU that have allowed populism to thrive. It is hoped that this knowledge will be utilised by policy makers, and will add to existing discussion regarding the treatment of asylum seekers in the EU. 

 

Supervisor: Dr Gene Carolan