Populism feeds on certain European taboos

Richard Werly interviews the political scientist Jérôme Jamin, from the Université de Liège, on the reasons behind the multiplication in Europe of Euro-sceptic parties who are suspicious of foreigners. "Certain European taboos aggravate the abscess of populist fixation. To speak of qualified immigration as the 'The' solution for the ageing European population and our lack of a highly-skilled work force, is asking for trouble. Not that the doors of the EU should be shut to foreign graduates. But why not also propose a European family planning initiative to stimulate the birth-rate along with a massive injection of aid for education? Europe needs to accept to ask itself tricky questions in order to avoid contentious answers."

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