Populism in the European parliament: A comparison of Syrian and Ukrainian migrants

In the past decade, Europe has faced two major waves of migration. These two events—the 2015 refugee crisis and the 2022 refugee crisis—show similarities in some respects, but diverge completely in others. While one turned into a crisis in European politics, the other created a unifying effect. During the 2015 crisis, the European Union struggled to manage the process and faced strong opposition. Led by Orbán, some heads of state began to protect their borders, and even the Schengen Area—one of the most significant achievements of integration—was partially suspended at times. The 2015 refugee crisis also revealed the weaknesses in the EU's migration management, and the resulting chaos strengthened populism in Europe, which was already on the rise. Since 2015, populist parties have been increasing their votes in almost every European country. On the other hand, the war that began between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 led millions of people to seek refuge in EU countries. However, this time, politics transformed not into chaos but into cooperation based on solidarity. Furthermore, this time the European Union responded and implemented its policies collectively and with remarkable speed; for the first time in its history, Temporary Protection status was granted to Ukrainian refugees, marking a significant transformation in the EU's migration and asylum policies. In this thesis, in order to identify the reasons behind this transformative change, the focus has been placed on the European Parliament, the most democratic institution of the European Union. By analyzing parliamentary questions submitted over the past decade, the study aims to identify the agenda regarding Syrian and Ukrainian refugees. With this approach, the relationship between populism and migration, and how it has influenced the different attitudes displayed towards the two refugee groups, has also been analyzed.