Does Fear Belong to Eurosceptics? Fear as an Emotion in the Discourse of European Christian‐Democratic, Socialist and Liberal Parties

Abstract This study examines the role of fear in the narratives developed by the European People's Party, the Party of European Socialists and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe during the 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024 European Parliament elections. The research investigates whether the politics of fear is an exclusive prerogative of Eurosceptic‐illiberal parties or whether fear is equally deployed by Europarties that endorse pro‐European stances and hold positions of power within EU institutions. Drawing on emotion discourse analysis, the findings demonstrate that emotional politics and the politics of fear, whilst often associated with Euroscepticism and populism, can also be mobilised to promote European integration and legitimise EU politics. Highlighting the need for further research, the study underscores the centrality of fear in EU party politics and emphasises the role of mainstream Europarties as agents within the EU's emotional community.