Bulgaria is suffering from political long Covid — and the rest of Europe is at risk
More than three decades after the end of communist rule, the victory of the AfD in a state election in the east underlines a lingering political divide
Alternative for Germany won its first regional election but still has no viable path to govern
Government parties and mainstream opposition face a dire set of results in three state elections next month
Italian premier abstained to vote for Ursula von der Leyen and said European Commission peddles ‘fake news’
Conservative billionaire’s entertainment channel had been fined €7.6mn for breaching broadcasting standards
It would be naive to see the UK as immune to this phenomenon; Reform UK is not yet ready
(And a mandate is not a landslide)
Rassemblement National official who helped pick contentious candidates steps down from executive committee
Rassemblement National and League join ‘Patriots for Europe’ to make it third-largest faction in European parliament
Rassemblement National will decide whether to link up with Patriots for Europe on Monday
Also in this newsletter: Bulgaria tries yet again to form a stable government
Viktor Orbán calls for more focus on EU competitiveness in FT opinion piece
Liberals are in for a long struggle as nationalist populism surges in the US and Europe
Also in this newsletter: the Socialists’ message to Ursula von der Leyen
President Emmanuel Macron’s centrists fall to third place behind leftwing alliance
Orbán’s Fidesz teams up with Austrian and Czech MEPs, but needs 4 more countries for Patriots for Europe faction
Nordic examples show that democracy’s moderating influence can sometimes help
Hungary’s Eurosceptic premier has blocked an increasing number of Ukraine-related decisions
Runaway budget deficits and confrontation with Brussels and Berlin is a formula for trouble
Stéphane Boujnah says both far-right and leftwing alliance would struggle to implement their plans in government
Italian PM visibly upset after leaders of centrist parties excluded her from initial discussions
Social democrats promise to fund media subscriptions for those aged 16-30 in effort to tackle disinformation
Populism is often strongest in big-spending social democracies
French president scolds politicians who seek to form alliances as either end of political spectrum
