Populist and national-conservative parties often offer similar rhetoric on sovereignty and national interests, but economic policies vary widely and are not always coherent.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked that Ukraine be granted EU membership “via a new special procedure" and signed an official application to join. But despite the stated backing of several MEPs,…
The Letter n°930 Eric Maurice
While the European democratic system is subject to hybrid threats from outside, it is being challenged from within by the current governments in Hungary and Poland and their systemic undermining of checks and balances and guarantees of political alternation. Independent judges and an unfettered press remain the last two bulwarks against power grabs and authoritarian temptations. For the European Union, it is essential to act as a priority to preserve these checks and balances. Prime Minister Boïko Borissov s Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, which ran in coalition with the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), came first in the Bulgarian parliamentary elections of 4 April, with 26.14% of the vote. Such a People Exist, a populist party created by singer and TV presenter Slavi Trifonov, came second with 17.73%, ahead of the Socialist Party (15.02%) which lost its status as the first opposition party. Boyko Borissov,