Will Rightists Take the Lead in New Europe?

• 04.18.2019, 18:27
• Haykuhi Katrjyan
•  Europe,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World

European Council on Foreign Relations

In the face of May 23-26 elections of the European parliament a few far-right nationalist parties have announced their alliance. They aim to form a bloc which “will transform the European Union and open a new page in history”.

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of its far-right League party, hosted the gathering of European far-right parties in Milan on April 8.

Salvini’s initiative to set up a far rightists’ bloc includes Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, the Danish People’s party, as well as the Finnish nationalist Finns party. Salvini claims Marine Le Pen’s of National Rally in France will join them soon. Whether rightwing populists, in power in Hungary and Poland will join the alliance is not clear.

“We want to improve the European Union and the European Parliament without damaging them,” said German AfD party chairman Jorg Morten. He also stated that the new bloc will be called “European Alliance for Nations and People” and will unite 10 parties from 3 blocs as of now (ENF, EFDD, ECR).

The key issues of the joint agenda of the far right parties in Europe are the migration reaction, the control of their own borders and the reduction of the EU's competences. However, meanwhile they also have serious contradictions on a number of economic and social issues and relationships with Russia, which hinder the formation of a new consolidated faction in the European Parliament.

In the recent years, particularly following the 2015 migration crisis, the rise of the far right nationalists and right-populists in Europe is one of the challenges Europe faces nowadays. It is a serious challenge to the future of the European Union as the rightists are pessimistic towards the European Union and the united Europe. They are for abrupt reduction of the powers of the transnational structures and expansion of sovereignty of national states.  

The rightist pledge revival of European values and decline such cornerstone European values as tolerance, multiculturalism, exclusion of discrimination against people regardless of their religious background and origin, skin color and so on. What is more important is the public support to this parties in different countries. Thus it is not ruled out that the far rightists’ presence in the European parliament will soon rise as a result of the pan-European elections.

With regard to this the upcoming European Parliament election results are going to show, among other things, the direction of changes in Europe.