When the European Union has to accelerate the most in decision-making more problems seem to appear in many of their governments. For one reason or another, some top leaders and their executives go through times of uncertainty. It is the case of Germany, France, Spain, Austria or Belgiumeither due to lack of Budgets, due to the calling of early elections or due to the impossibility of forming a new nucleus of power that is firm and that allows progress at a time when the world demands firmness.
Only Italy and Poland are saved from this ‘burning’, with Giorgia Meloni and Donald Tusk as resounding voicesand even with the former as a potential ‘link’ between Donald Trump and Brussels in the coming years. Who knows. The reality is that there are other Member States that are navigating much murkier waters. In SpainFor example, Pedro Sánchez finds it increasingly difficult to govern, although he insists that he will complete the legislature. Due to the weak nature of its pacts with Junts or the PNV and the clashes with the PP, adds complexity with the approval of the Budgets, on which the Government continues to negotiate without white smoke; and without public accounts, what will not be able to be conveyed, for example, will be a huge amount of European funds.
Can we move forward without Budgets? Yes, but it reduces the ability to influence a country that, at a macro level, has very good economic data, although it does not seem to completely transfer them to the daily lives of citizens. In Germany things are not going better. The country is going to early elections on February 23, with Olaf Scholz very affected, the conservatives of the CDDU leading the polls and, above all, with the far-right AfD at its highest and growing. In addition, the campaign will be marked by issues such as the war in Ukraine or immigration and the fear of external interference is growing not only through Russia but also through Elon Musk; The magnate has called the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a “dictator”, and has shown his support for the radical right.
“The interference does not come from a single actor”warn community sources consulted by 20 minuteswho do not want to evaluate “things that have not yet happened”, in reference to the elections in the main pillar of the EU. What happens in Berlin will have effects on the rest of Europe. Another who is going through his worst moment is Emmanuel Macron, with France in a political limbo with almost no way out. The French president categorically suspends among the population and His first attempt at Government, with Michel Barnier, fell in less than three months. The second, led by François Bayrou, follows the same path. De facto, he is relying on Marine Le Pen while the left, which won the legislative elections in the summer, is already pointing out that Macron has to leave. The key date is July 2025, when parliamentary elections could be called againand that seems to be the end of this very complex journey… for now.
AustriaFor its part, it seeks the key to governability and does so with unprecedented decisions, after the president of the country has made the task of forming a new Executive to Herbert Kickl, leader of the far-right FPOa step that had never been taken in the history of the country. His definition is that of a classic leader of the current European radical right: xenophobic, with a harsh message against migration, climate change denier, eurosceptic and against aid to Ukraine. The immigration issue and inequalities are its main point, as is also a commitment to the thesis of the “change of era” that this type of parties repeat so much. The affiliations of the FPÖ with the Putin regime, moreover, do not occur only through Kickl, but go back a long way: in 2016, that is, Already after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, the party signed a “cooperation pact” formal with the Kremlin. Kickl, in advance, does not seem to have the necessary support to be chancellor, but he expects a movement in his favor from the traditional conservatives (OVP), after the departure of Karl Nehammer, a supporter of a cordon sanitaire.
Beyond all that, there is another country that doesn’t even have a government after six months: Belgium. Tensions between the Flemish and Walloon regions, together with the representation of French- and Dutch-speaking parties, make reaching a consensus a constant challenge. In fact, the country continues to hold the record for days without a Government, with 541 days between June 2010 and December 2011. In the last federal elections, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), led by Bart De Wever, obtained the largest number of votes, consolidating itself as one of the main political forces in the country. However, Flemish nationalist parties, including Vlaams Belang, also made significant gains, reflecting an increase in support for right-wing formations in the Flanders region. For now, liberal Alexander de Croo remains acting prime minister and there does not seem to be a clear date for the replacement.
Romania either Bulgaria They continue to subscribe to political complexities. In Bucharest they are still waiting to repeat the presidential elections after Justice has annulled the last ones due to alleged foreign interference in the victory of the radical Calin Georgescua leader opposed to the EU and NATO and with theses favorable to Putin. Bulgaria, for its part, does not find stability and in 2025 could hold what would be its eighth elections in just four years. They are not two key member states in the EU, but their importance has increased because since January 1 they are already part of the Schengen area, which ensures the freedom of movement of people, goods and services.
The EU needs stability, and many member countries have taken out many bills to have the opposite. “We are clear that what we must seek is unity, whether in the Council or in the consensus that can be reached in Parliament,” they assume from Brussels. The challenge is what it is, and the world does not wait: Putin, Trump, Musk, China, the movements in the Middle East or the boost to the economy leave no room for doubts and there are many important member states hooked on them.
#Budgets #early #elections #failed #decisions #governments #falter
