Far-Right Surge in EU Elections Sparks Concerns for Democracy

Europeans - with a low voter turnout - went to the polls this weekend and elected a new European Parliament marking a shift to the right with significant support for far-right parties. This shift presents a critical threat to the rights and freedoms of millions of workers across the continent.

Marine Le Pen’s far-right party emerged as a major victor in France with 31% of the votes. According to the latest provisional results, far-right parties also came first in Austria, Italy and Hungary and secured the second place in Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland.

Despite their major wins in certain countries, far-right parties did not secure a majority in the European Parliament, hovering at over 20% of the total votes. Unless dramatic changes in the groups take place, the ‘Grand Coalition of democratic forces’ remains almost the only viable one. Our new report shows that far-right groups vote more than any other party against workers' rights. This indicates that they would oppose any attempt at securing a social Europe. And while they might not directly take part in the coalition, their weight will ensure that important issues on social or environmental topics can be blocked from the right.

This rise of the far right can be explained by a complex set of reasons, often tied to the national context, as most voters went to the ballot box with their member state’s situation in mind. Nevertheless, overarching sources of discontent among the population, such as the soaring cost of living, in many countries unemployment, low wages, brain drain, energy insecurity, and the erosion of public services in Europe play a major role, in decreasing the citizens’ trust in the system

Delaying measures that actually deliver for Europeans, while adopting backdoor austerity measures in the meantime, will only make the discontent grow until we finally wake up to a far-right majority that has never shied away from its project to dismantle the EU, destroy human rights, and undermine the rule of law. We can't afford to let this happen. We call on the leaders of the democratic bloc to deliver an EU that works for the people.