The challenge populist governments pose for the process and theory of European integration

Although populists in government have already frustrated the common interest projects, curbed institutional progress, and questioned fundamental values of European Union, integration theories so far failed to address question: what explains populist governments’ actions within EU? This article claims that existing accounts either downplay relevance or fail grasp complexity governments, because populism disputes democratic models state-societal relations projected by these theories. Merging literature on integration, it is argued exerts a transformative impact both institutions society member state, which could important ramifications for future integration. Highlighting anti-plural anti-democratic nature populism, emergence ‘constraining consensus’ between governments ‘the people’, proposes complementary approach addressing challenge integration.Supplemental data this can be accessed online at: 10.1080/01402382.2021.1988388