Ildiko Otova

This text focuses on the politicisation of the topic of migration in Bulgaria in the period between the European elections of 2014 and 2019, which coincides with the period of the migratory crisis and the consequences thereof. As opposed to the classic understanding of politicization, in Bulgaria the process occurs in the conditions of dominating populist discourse with extremely conservative and nationalistic talk and securitarian interpretation. All this has entailed the impossibility to devise and implement working policies in the realm of migration and integration and in reality, places the security of the state in a potentially much more precarious future situation.

Although populist parties and movements have increased their electoral influ- ence for many years, the economic crises in the Eurozone, as well as the re- cent refugee crisis, have given new impetus to this trend. Both Eurosceptic and anti-elitist discourse, well reflecting broad public attitudes and opinions, fuels populist parties and movements that are becoming increasingly visible in the political arena of the Member-states and at the European level. The aim of this text is to analyze anti-elitism as one of the main characteristics of populism in the context of the mutually reinforcing crises in the EU.