Transcript 2009_Coman_Right-Wing_Politics

The Negative Side of Enlargement:
Anti-Immigration Feelings and
Right-Wing Politics
The Enlargement Towards the East
• 2007: Bulgaria and Romania
• 2004: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia.
• 1995: Austria, Finland, Sweden
• 1980s: Greece, Portugal, Spain.
• 1973: Denmark, Ireland, U.K.
European Union 2007
The Emergence of Enlargement
Fatigue: Some Empirical Facts
70
60
50
Austria
Belgium
40
Britain
France
30
Ireland
Italy
20
Spain
10
0
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Why the Negative attitude?
• The new members are at much lower levels of
economic development
GDP per capita in the new member
states in PPP (2005)
EU Average (27)
22600
Bulgaria (BG)
7900
Czech Republic (CZ)
17300
Estonia (EE)
14000
Latvia (LV)
11400
Lithuania (LT)
12200
Hungary (HU)
14700
Poland (PL)
11700
Romania (RO)
8000
Slovenia (SI)
19200
Slovakia (SK)
13400
Why the Negative attitude?
• Magnitude of enlargement: population
growth from 380 million to 494 million.
• Different nature of the EU/EC:
• Regional Development Fund
• Freedom of movement across countries since
1992
The European Regional Development
Fund: Eligibility 1994-1999
The European Regional Development
Fund: Eligibility 2000-2006
Italy’s Backlash against Romanians
• November 2007 a Romanian raped and killed
an Italian woman
• Violence against the Rroma camps in the main
cities
• It helped Berlusconi come back to power
• Thousands of Romanians were rounded and
sent back.
Enlargement and the
Right-Wing Parties
• The negative aspects of the Enlargement are
brought to the electorate by the new right
wing parties.
• What do the right wing parties stand for?
 Anti- Immigration and anti EU
 Nationalism and xenophobia
 Traditional values of the society
A list of right-wing parties in
Western Europe
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Austria: Freedom Party
Belgium: National Front, Flemish Block
Denmark: Progress Party
France: National Front
Germany: German People’s Union
Italy: Lega Nord, Tricolor Flame
Netherlands: Pim Fortuyn List
Spain: National Alliance, National Union
UK: UK Independence Party
Right-Wing Parties and Immigration
Front National: ‘At the origin of most
of most of the problems of our
country for the last thirty years there
has been a menacing immigration
policy that has been perpetuated by
successive governments.’
EP elections: 2004: 10%; 1999: 5.7
UKIP: We will freeze immigration for
five years, speed up deportation of
up to a million illegal immigrants by
tripling the numbers engaged in
deportations, and have ‘no home no
visa’ work permits to ease the
housing crisis.’
EP elections: 2009: 16%; 2004: 16%;
1999: 7%