State of the Union: Enlargement nostalgia and new challenges in the EU

Twenty years agone this week, nan European Union saw nan biggest enlargement information ever.

On May 1st, 2004, 10 states simultaneously joined nan bloc, 7 of them from beyond nan erstwhile Iron Curtain. Some called it nan “Big Bang”.

In a alternatively shut up celebration, nan European institutions successful Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg were lit up for nan juncture this week.

EU Council President Charles Michel advocated caller members: “Enlargement is captious for nan early of nan EU because without enlargement location is, successful fact, a consequence for a caller Iron Curtain, and this would beryllium highly dangerous, if you would person an unstable neighbourhood pinch a deficiency of prosperity aliases deficiency of economical development.”

Whether countries for illustration Serbia, Georgia aliases Ukraine will get a spot astatine nan Brussels array immoderate clip soon is doubtful.

In nan ongoing predetermination run for nan European Parliament enlargement is not a basking topic, to put it mildly.

Speaking of nan campaign… This week, group started speculating astir a caller governmental alliance, antecedently unheard of, namely a conjugation of center-right and far-right parties.

When asked astir it during a debate, nan Commission president and center-right campaigner Ursula von der Leyen had this to say: "It depends very overmuch connected really nan creation of nan Parliament is and who is successful what group."

This fits good pinch a connection by nan hard-right premier curate of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, who would emotion to squad up pinch von der Leyen’s European People’s Party: “In summation to being nan leader of nan “Brothers of Italy”, I americium nan leader of nan European Conservatives, who want to play a decisive domiciled successful changing nan guidance of European policies.”

Meloni’s statement leads nan polls successful her country, and she intends to replicate nan strategy astatine powerfulness successful Italy: an confederation of EPP and far-right groups ECR and Identity & Democracy.

Polls propose that nan adjacent European Parliament will displacement moreover much to nan right, arsenic nationalist and populist parties look to beryllium gaining ground.

Some observers already foretell a legislative schedule paralysed by a coagulated right-wing block. But a caller study by nan European Council connected Foreign Relations shows location are a batch of cracks successful this block.

We said astir it pinch Pawel Zerka, elder argumentation chap astatine nan ECFR and nan lead expert connected European nationalist opinion. 

Euronews: So, your caller polling suggests heavy divisions betwixt Europe’s far-right parties. How, for example, does this play retired erstwhile it comes to support for Ukraine?

Zerka: So, this is 1 of nan areas wherever nan parties of nan acold correct will struggle to agree. Not conscionable acold right, Eurosceptics arsenic well. So evidently location are immoderate parties, for illustration Alternative for Deutschland, aliases a Geert Wilders' statement successful nan Netherlands, who are overmuch much connected nan broadside of nary longer supporting Ukraine and seeing nan European existent support arsenic warmongering. But location are parties, of course, for illustration Polish Law and Justice, which are powerfully supportive of Ukraine. And moreover successful Italy, Giorgia Meloni has shown to beryllium a beardown transatlanticist and a reliable, protagonist of a European statement of support for Ukraine.

Euronews: What astir a hypothetical exit from nan EU - isn’t that a pet task that nationalist parties are plotting?

Zerka: It's nary longer that fashionable successful Europe. And galore of nan European far-right aliases anti-European aliases Eurosceptic parties person chosen correct now to attraction connected repairing Europe from wrong alternatively than leaving nan EU.

Euronews: We’re conscionable weeks distant from predetermination time – what would beryllium a strategy to antagonistic nan far-right successful nan predetermination campaign?

Zerka: The problem I spot correct now is that galore of nan parties of nan acold right, person nan electorates which are powerfully mobilised. So, their voters judge that these are important elections and they, largely, want to spell and vote, whereas nan electorates of nan pro-European broadside are often rather demobilised, arsenic if group didn't understand what are nan stakes of this election? Why should that matter? So, my main proposal for nan leaders of pro-European parties is to definitive rather intelligibly to their voters why those elections are important.

Euronews: And what astir nan voters of far-right parties, tin they still beryllium swayed?

Zerka: Rarely. I deliberation that nan mobility is mostly astir whether they will beryllium powerfully mobilised aliases whether immoderate of them would enactment astatine home. If nan pro-European broadside reminds nan voters astir nan various risks that voting for AfD successful Germany, Marine Le Pen successful France aliases Kaczynski successful Poland brings, past possibly immoderate of nan group who are presently saying, yes, I would for illustration to ballot for those parties. Maybe they will deliberation twice.

In different news, we’re now a week distant from 1 of nan biggest European events of nan year, nan European Song Contest, hosted by nan Swedish metropolis of Malmö.

While method and creator preparations are good nether way, nan arena is causing awesome headaches for nan Swedish information authorities.

In a 23-page report, astir of it classified, rule enforcement summarises superior threats to nan competition. Like cyber-attacks, denial-of-service attacks aliases civilian unrest.

Authorities are besides coping pinch nan truth that Sweden is simply a premier target for convulsive Islamist violent organisations.

In addition, awesome protests against Israel’s information successful nan title are expected.

Swedish constabulary judge they are prepared for each kinds of scenarios.

They dream nan European Song Contest proceeds smoothly – and I conjecture they besides want Sweden not to triumph this time, truthful that personification other tin big nan arena adjacent year.