Anti-EU currents

Anti-EU and Eurosceptic movements and sentiments are nothing new to the European Union, but in the run-up to the 2024 EU elections, political parties holding those views and making it an integral part of their campaigning are set to gain voters, according to the latest polls.

Opinion polls in recent months have shown a surge in support for far-right parties, which tend to be the most critical of the EU. Issues such as the rising cost of living, increased immigration and waning support for some of the EU’s most important policies – such as the Green Deal – are expected to contribute to a shift to the right.

This Spotlight explores the impact of anti-EU and Eurosceptic movements on the functioning of the bloc, for example in terms of its decision-making process and its position on the global stage, as well as the prospects for EU enlargement. With regard to the latter, we look at the recently adopted and implemented law on “foreign agents” in EU candidate country Georgia, which has raised alarm bells in Brussels about its attitude to EU values.

The EU Elections Spotlight “Anti-EU currents’’ is available in English, German, French and Spanish.

Video: Euroscepticism and its impact on EU policies

According to experts, the far-right and other anti-EU movements in the EU have largely toned down their Eurosceptic rhetoric in recent years. However, with such movements expected to gain voters in the upcoming European elections, to what extent do they have a chance of influencing EU policy – and are they acting as a united force?

To discuss these questions and more, the European Newsroom spoke to Dermot Hodson (Professor of Political Economy and Digital Technologies at Loughborough University, visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges) and Nathalie Brack (Associate Professor of Political Science at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges).

To what extent will European values be affected?