A Europe-wide shift to the right

Patrick Roger speaks with Dominique Reynie, professor at the Institut d'études politiques in Paris, about a right-wing shift in Europe after local elections in Italy and the UK. "I identify a shift to the right not only in Rome and London, but across Europe. We are seeing a spectacular mood swing among European voters. ... In some countries where the Left occupied important ground such as Finland, Belgium and even Greece, social democratic and socialist parties are racking up one defeat after the next. ... This confirms what we have been observing in Europe since 1996: a tendency for radical movements to spread. The right-wing is not only victorious; it is gaining ground with increasingly tough-minded programmes. The Right seems to benefit more from economic swings, regardless of what direction they take. When things are looking up, the demand for liberalisation and de-regularisation increases as well, which the Left - with few exceptions - seems unable to respond to convincingly."

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Europe