The Rule of Law as a Cornerstone of Anti-Populism: European Institutions, Populists, and ‘the People’ in European Parliament Debates

This paper argues that populism and anti-populism are used in EP politics as boundary-creating categories. They define alliances and processes of inclusion and exclusion. They are used in political discourse and are connected to other boundary-defining categories, such as attitudes towards the process of European construction, social inclusion, and anti-discrimination policy. However, the concepts of populism and anti-populism are difficult to operationalise because they refer to ideologies, political styles, and political behaviours that may be somewhat similar between the two blocs. In this context, a third overarching concept—the ‘rule of law’—comes to play a fundamental role in boundary creation and maintenance. This role has been empirically examined in a debate on the relationship between Poland and the independence of the judiciary that took place in the EP in December 2021, and which has been content analysed. The paper argues that there are two contrasting conceptualisations of the rule of law that define contrasting political blocs.