politics
How the far right is tightening its grip over the EU – from the inside
The centrist coalition that traditionally shaped EU laws is now colluding with MEPs from the AfD and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally
TL;DR
- European integration was established to prevent majorities from excluding groups, but this principle is being violated by the European Parliament.
- The European People's Party (EPP) is increasingly forming legislative and institutional majorities with far-right groups, including Marine Le Pen's Patriots for Europe (PfE) and Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
- This new alignment has facilitated the passage of the EU's harshest migration law, the 'return regulation,' which allows for deportations to centers outside EU territory.
- The shift is leading to a rollback of EU protective standards in areas like migration, climate, corporate accountability, and AI, weakening common rules.
- Mainstream centrist parties (socialists, liberals, greens) provide support that allows the EPP to control institutions, inadvertently enabling its rightward turn and providing it with a cover of legitimacy.
- The hypocrisy is highlighted by the EPP's German members adhering to a 'firewall' against the AfD at home while cooperating with far-right groups in Brussels.
- The current situation poses a challenge for socialists, liberals, and greens, who must decide whether to continue enabling the EPP's drift or withdraw support, forcing the EPP to choose its coalition partners.