Across the Continent, EU Leaders Have Badly Misread the Nationalist Surge
The hard right in Europe is not yet in power, but it is increasingly in control of the political conversation. The surge in support for hard-right parties during the European Parliament elections held from 6-9 June 2024 is set to make both Europe and its institutions more culturally conservative. This rise of nationalism and populism has been brewing for years, with the hard right successfully challenging EU policies, including Ursula von der Leyen’s Green Deal. Their influence even forced her to strike controversial financial deals with North African countries, such as Tunisia and Egypt, in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants to Europe.
While the hard right may not be governing, it is undoubtedly shaping the agenda on issues like immigration, identity, crime, environmental policy, and the economy. The European People’s Party (EPP), the largest group in the European Parliament, has been forced to shift further to the right in response to this pressure. Once a pro-EU centrist coalition, the EPP is now a more conservative body, aligning itself with the hard-right push on key issues.
The main victors in these elections were the EPP and the combined forces of the European hard right. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and Giorgia Meloni’s far-right coalition have increased their seats significantly. In France, Le Pen’s party garnered around 31% of the vote, more than double the share of Macron’s centrist liberals. This growing alliance of right-wing forces across Europe could potentially create the second-largest group in the European Parliament, further cementing the hard-right’s political dominance and influence across the continent.
