Prediction for the EU elections: – Right-wing populists will “gain momentum”

In addition to the current studies, another “indicator” of the predicted success was mentioned in the interview with the APA: the European Union is not the center of attention today – unlike the previous elections in 2019. Right-wing populist forces could benefit from a lower turnout in the elections, according to the expert from the Brussels European Policy Center.

The rise of right-wing populists is encouraged by the “increasing polarization of our national debates and political culture” and by the “anger of many EU citizens”. Uncertainty also plays an important role.

The previous majority in the EU Parliament will not be broken
Despite the expected gains for right-wing populist parties, Emmanouilidis believes that there will still be a majority in the EU Parliament for conservatives, social democrats and liberals. However, they will “come under greater pressure” – which is “not good news” at both EU and national levels. However, the EU expert rules out ‘structured cooperation’ between the conservatives and the right-wing populist parties – coalitions could emerge ‘on a case-by-case basis’. A “very close coalition” of right-wing forces could also be difficult, because these parties often act “very nationalist”, the EU expert said.

Why left-wing populism does not have much traction
The political scientist justified the fact that left-wing populism is currently unsuccessful in Europe by saying that “nationalist tendencies are currently bringing the issue of migration to the fore.” The left-wing attitude of “looking for new shores” would “be less well received”.