Wojciech Przybylski: The European Union is holding on and populists will not affect its functioning
24.08.2023
Wojciech Przybylski
Recently, we see populists becoming more active all over the world, and in particular in the EU countries. Wojciech Przybylski, editor-in-chief of Visegrád Insight and head of the ResPublica foundation in Warsaw, told Newssky what the nearest prospect is for the European Union and whether it will withstand the onslaught of populists.
Indeed, important stress tests await the EU in the next two years. The first is the elections to the European Parliament in 2024. As a result, a large populist reprsentation will not enter the EP. According to the latest forecasts, populists can take somewhat more seats, but their ranks will be fragmented and divided. Probably, the standing majority will survive.
The next stress test will be the elections in the USA, on which the EU depends in global politics and coordination of support for Ukraine. However, Republican control in the past has only intensified the EU’s strategic actions. In other words, the EU is well-prepared.
Problems will begin with a number of national election races, primarily in the CEE. If the populists win, the region will risk losing its symbolic political capital, which has turned into an influence on EU policy. But in general, the EU is holding firm and will continue this trend.
Maryna Kovalchuk, Newssky’s own correspondent (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland), head of the V5 Media project, contributed
