Far-right surge in Europe complicates EU’s integration ambitions

Driven by immigration issues and economic struggles, they are reshaping continental politics.

Europe’s far-right parties are rising, driven by immigration rhetoric and economic hardships. Mainstream conservatives adopting far-right narratives have legitimised their politics. While they may achieve electoral success, they offer no real solutions to Europe’s demographic challenges, competitiveness crisis, or geopolitical vulnerabilities.

The remarkable rise of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in recent German elections has reignited discussions on far-right politics in Europe. The AfD has become Germany’s second-largest political party, trailing only the conservative coalition while surpassing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens.

The top four economies of the European Union—Germany, France, Italy, and Spain—have all witnessed the rise of far-right forces. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy now leads the country's first far-right government since World War II. In France, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally secured 41% of the vote in the final round of the 2022 presidential elections. In Spain, right-wing parties are also gaining ground. During the 2023 elections, the far-right VOX party was projected as a kingmaker, though it ultimately underperformed. Since then, populist parties like Partido Popular, VOX, and SALF have been increasing their influence.

Earlier, the BBC’s political editor Katya Adler succinctly explained this phenomenon, stating, “Look around Europe right now—north, south, east, and west—and you see far-right parties of different flavours—nostalgic nationalist, populist nationalist, ultra-conservative with neo-fascist roots, and more—enjoying a notable resurgence.”

Although numerous right-wing and far-right parties exist across Europe, some that have gained significant attention include Alternative for Germany (AfD), National Rally (France), Brothers of Italy, League (Italy), Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), Vox (Spain), Party for Freedom and People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Netherlands), Finns Party (Finland), Greek Solution, Sweden Democrats, Freedom and Direct Democracy (Czech Republic), Denmark Democrats, New Flemish Alliance (Belgium), Revival (Bulgaria), AUR (Romania), and Reform UK. In Hungary, Fidesz has remained in power for years, while Poland’s Law and Justice Party governed the country for eight years until 2023.

These parties have also performed well in European parliamentary elections. In the current parliament, two of their groups—European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and Patriots for Europe—hold a significant number of seats and influence. The ECR includes Poland’s Law and Justice Party and Italy’s Brothers of Italy. Meanwhile, France’s National Rally and Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz are now part of the Patriots for Europe group.

Even after Nazism and Fascism were discredited following the war, right-wing political parties persisted across most European countries. However, they remained electorally insignificant. Still, a few, like the Italian Social Movement (MSI), continued to exert influence. The current Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, leads the Brothers of Italy, a party with roots in the MSI.

Until the late 1970s, a few parties, such as the Union and French Fraternity (UFF), achieved notable political success but soon faded. However, with their opposition to deeper European economic integration and the secularisation of politics, far-right parties began gaining electoral support in the 1980s. Some, like the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), even entered national parliaments.

Over the past twenty years, many of these parties have transitioned from the political fringes to the mainstream. Developments such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2015 refugee crisis, Eurozone difficulties, terrorist incidents across European cities, and the perceived failure of multiculturalism have provided them with opportunities to expand their influence.

The EU has largely been a neoliberal project. It is designed to be governed by conservative, socialist, or centrist-leaning coalitions. Over the past thirty years, globalisation and European integration have deepened interdependence within Europe and with the wider world. This period also coincided with the broader decline of the West.

As mainstream political parties adopted moderate or muddled positions on immigration, terrorism, multiculturalism, and national sovereignty, right-wing parties responded with clear policies opposing the integration of nations, markets, and people.

As right-wing parties expanded, many centre-right conservative parties began adopting far-right rhetoric on issues like immigration to safeguard their voter base. French President Macron and Germany's new conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, align with this trend. This shift provided legitimacy to far-right politics. While Nigel Farage of UKIP championed Brexit, it was Conservative leader David Cameron who ultimately promised the 2016 Brexit referendum.

European far-right parties position themselves as champions of 'the people' against 'the elites'. They are constantly searching for ‘enemies’. They increasingly collaborate, borrowing rhetoric from one another. The Trump presidency in the United States further energised their movement. While immigration remains a central issue, they are also deeply sceptical of international institutions, including the EU.

Many of these parties are also critical of European climate policies. Notably, many admire Russian President Vladimir Putin for his nationalist stance and strong leadership. This is reflected in Russia’s close ties with right-wing or populist governments in Hungary and Slovakia, as well as the Trump administration’s direct talks with Russia on the Ukraine war.

For many years, mainstream political parties in Germany, France, and other European countries have united to keep the right wing out of power. In France’s latest parliamentary elections, conservative, liberal, and leftist parties formed a tactical alliance to prevent the National Rally from securing a majority. Similarly, in Germany, no mainstream party collaborates with the AfD. However, this strategy—known in France as a cordon sanitaire (or firewall)—is now facing growing challenges.

Transatlantic relations are currently under strain, especially due to disagreements over Ukraine peace talks, defence spending, and trade disputes. Interestingly, however, Trump has built strong ties with right-wing groups across Europe.

At the recent Munich Security Conference, US Vice President J D Vance strongly criticised European political parties for their approach. He argued that in a democracy, "there’s no room for firewalls." His remarks came in the context of recent German elections, where no party was willing to form a coalition with the AfD. Addressing European leaders, he stated, "If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you."

Both J.D. Vance and Elon Musk have also strongly criticised Romania's annulled presidential elections, in which a far-right populist had won the first round.

The far-right is now present in most European parliaments and part of many ruling coalitions. However, rather than pushing for exit, they now seek to reform the EU from within. While in opposition, they offered clear and simple solutions. But once in power, they too recognise the complexity of Europe's demographic and competitiveness challenges as well as its geopolitical weaknesses. In the UK, many citizens have realised that Brexit has brought more problems than benefits. Yet, when in government, far-right parties continue to undermine core liberal democratic values, including judicial independence, press freedom, and political pluralism.

(Gulshan Sachdeva is Chief Coordinator, DAKSHIN-Global South Centre of Excellence at RIS, New Delhi, and a Professor and Jean Monnet Chair at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University)