Escalation of Far-right Politics in Europe

Abstract

In recent years, Europe has experienced a significant rise in the far-right as a political force. Nationalist and xenophobic rhetoric in mainstream politics has risen as conservative parties push regressive hardline agendas, particularly around immigration. Economic stressors have contributed to rising public dissatisfaction with current governance, empowering conservative and populist parties. The growing power of the far-right has concerning implications for the rule of law, immigration, minority rights, and democracy in Europe. To combat the rise and entrenchment of right-wing extremism, strengthening democratic safeguards and greater enforcement of EU values is essential. 

Introduction 

Nationalism in Politics

While nationalism has long been a common characteristic of Europe’s political sphere, recent years have seen a significant rise in right-wing and populist parties pushing Eurosceptic, nationalist, and anti-migrant rhetoric. 

Since the 1980’s, many far-right organisations have solidified themselves via official political avenues, formalising their presence in political discourse. The 2010’s saw a growing movement of international right-wing coalitions, such as ‘The Movement’ and ‘Identity and Democracy’, which were created for the 2019 European Parliament election. There has subsequently been a notable increase in the presence of right-wing populist rhetoric in mainstream European politics. 

This has generated concern that far-right parties will become the largest political force on the right in Europe within the decade. It carries severe implications for the rule of law, immigration policy, minority rights, and democracy within Europe. 

Far-right Agenda

Far-right politics are made up of a range of extremist ideologies, often some combination of ultra-conservativism, authoritarianism, and nationalist essentialism. Contemporary far-right ideologies include neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, xenophobia, and supremacism. It offers ‘exclusive identity’ and simple solutions to complex social issues, focusing on perceived threats to traditional social hierarchies and cultural values. They disproportionately target ethnic minority and religious groups, LGBT+ groups, and those considered ‘the elite’ (such as politicians and public figures).

In Europe, the mark of the far-right comes in regressive stances on climate change and immigration, as well as overt opposition to sending further aid to Ukraine and resistance to EU oversight and control. 

Right-Wing Movements by Country

There has been significant expansion of the reach and popularity of far-right parties across Europe, including multiple EU member states with far-right parties in government. The statistical representation of the growing presence of right-wing politics in Europe indicate a concerning shift in dominant politics. When mapped, the developing presence of right-wing extremism and nationalism suggests a need for political reconciliation and strong policy response.

EU nations with far-right parties in government:

Italy 

Radical right-wing party Brothers of Italy (FdI) won 26% of the vote in 2022 snap general election. It is the current ruling party of Italy and has consolidated as one of the two major political parties in Italy. It has largely adhered to EU norms and maintained a traditional stance towards foreign policy, easing some international concerns.

Slovakia 

Despite doing poorly in the 2022 parliamentary elections, ultranationalist-populist Slovak National Party (SNS) was invited (alongside social democratic-populist party Hlas-SD) to form a coalition government with left-wing nationalist-populist party Smer-SD.

The Czech Republic 

At the end of 2022, far-right party Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) was the fastest growing party in the country with over 10,000 members. Recently, ANO, another right-wing populist party led by previous Prime Minister Andrej Babis, won parliamentary elections at just under 35% of vote and 80 seats, although they fall short of holding an overall majority. Slovakia’s current government since 2023 is a coalition of left-wing populism and right-wing nationalist stances, leading with an overall socially conservatist position.

Hungary 

The Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz) won the 2022 parliamentary election and secured a supermajority for the fourth time with 135 seats of 199. It maintains illiberal and strong anti-immigration policies.

Finland 

In the 2023 parliamentary elections, the far-right Finns Party came in close second (20.1%) to the centre-right National Coalition Party (20.8%), gaining 7 seats (46 total). They have agreed to enter a coalition with other right-wing parties: the National Coalition Party, Swedish People’s Party, and the Christian Democrats.

Croatia 

The Croatian Democratic Party (DP) entered a confirmed coalition with the far-right Homeland Movement in 2024. This coalition is currently Croatia’s third largest party.

Expansion of far-right parties across Europe:

Austria

In 2024 legislative election, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won with 29.2% of the vote. It failed to form a coalition however, after leaders of all other parties ruled out making an alliance. The five-month political crisis ended with conservatives (ÖVP), social democrats (SPÖ) and liberals (Neos) forming a coalition to prevent the far-right from coming to power.

The UK

The Reform party gained popularity due to high public dissatisfaction around immigration policy, winning the largest number of seats at 41% in local elections held across 23 councils in England in May 2025. In terms of size, Reform is currently the second-largest party, ahead of the Conservatives but behind Labour, however this is not reflected in terms of MPs.

The Netherlands 

In 2023, the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) won 37 of 150 seats in the Dutch parliament, more than doubling its 2021 tally and becoming the biggest party. The Dutch government coalition collapsed after PVV leader withdrew from the governing coalition in June 2025. As of February 2026, the Netherlands has a centre-right minority government and is now led by a combination of social-liberal and conservative-liberal parties, ending its political polarisation.

France

National Rally (RN), as well as the newer Reconquête! (R!) party, have gained ground in recent years. The combined votes of both groups account for more than 40% of the population during the 2022 elections, the far-rights highest ever share. In the 2024 snap election, RN came in third overall with 24.6% of the vote, and as of early 2026, France’s political landscape remains deeply fractured. 

Portugal

In 2024, far-right party Chega! (CH) more than quadrupled its parliamentary representation to 50 members, winning 18% of popular vote. It continued to grow, taking 60 seats (22.76%) in the country’s third snap election in three years, coming second to centre-right to the right-wing Democratic Alliance (AD) party (32%). It is the main opposition in Portugal’s parliament. It does not however have dominance. Presidential elections held in early 2026 ended with socialist party candidate Seguro’s win with 66.7% of the vote.

Sweden

As of 2024, the Sweden Democrats (SD) are the largest member of Sweden’s right-wing bloc, and the second-largest party in their parliament. In March 2026, leaders of the Liberals and SD announced an agreement for a future right-of-centre coalition that would facilitate further right-wing policy in government.

Germany

In Germany’s recent municipal polls, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party took 14.5% of the vote, a gain of 9.4% from the last municipal elections in 2020. Following the 2025 general election, AfD is the second biggest political force (20.8%), behind the conservative Christian CDU/CSU (28.5%). As of early 2026, Germany is led by the centre-right coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) but remains challenged by the AfD.

Understanding the Causes 

Economic Stressors and Public Dissatisfaction

General public views on current governance and leadership motivates this pattern. Presently there is significant dissatisfaction concerning centrist government’s handling of issues connected to migration and inflation, a perceived lack of social and economic safety. In the wake of recent economic stressors like Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic, the Russo-Ukrainian war, US trade tariffs, and the Iran conflict, many European countries are tackling economic instability. Amid high unemployment and a cost-of-living crisis, many people are compelled by promises of stability, greater prioritisation of native citizens, and economic strength. 

EU and national government pursuit of neo-liberal deficit control and austerity measures creates opportunities for the far-right to harness the dissatisfaction of those experiencing the consequences and lacking support. This sets a dangerous tone for future elections, as a greater percentage of voters adopt far-right views, often without recognising the shift, and put pressure on political parties to meet said expectations.

Normalisation of Far-right Rhetoric 

There is intense concern over the rise of nationalistic and xenophobic ideas; to what extent have they affected policy at national and EU level, and how? The normalisation of far-right rhetoric is a central aspect of this. It has often been overlooked by mainstream parties in Europe that instead focus on high-level rule of law violations.

Societal shocks can embolden those with far-right views to more openly voice them. As conservative parties push hardline agendas in a bid to win back votes, the introduction of far-right views into mainstream political discourse standardises and legitimises right-wing extremism, pushing the political spectrum further right. The proposal of oppressive policies can also be influential even without implementation, affecting public attitudes and actions as some people adopt the spirit of the policy before it is even signed into law. 

Impacts

Restricting Minority Rights

The rise in right-wing extremism presents specific dangers for minority rights. Many far-right policies undermine the human rights laws that protect migrants and asylum seekers. As a frequent source of political debate, tied to increased crime rates and decreased public welfare resources, immigration rates are an easy target for conservative parties to generate public support through promises of stricter immigration policies. 

“The challenge that Europe has been grappling with for the past 15 years has been the normalisation of the far right’s agenda to destroy [their] rights.” – Susi Dennison (Senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations).

Protests and violence against immigrants and asylum seekers are a product of this rise is nationalism, from vigilante patrols at borders to nation-wide anti-immigration protests. The EU is now expecting a new wave of refugees fleeing the conflict in Iran led by the US and Israel, which is expected to test its policy strategies for dispersing asylum-seekers between member states.

Attack on Democracy 

The rise in far-right parties poses a growing risk to democracy, creating openings for more authoritarian governance. Their attempts to shrink civil society and restrict fundamental freedoms from certain groups has significant implications for the rule of law, human rights, and the values of freedom within European countries. 

• In July 2020, Members of the European Parliament (MEP) demanded concrete enforcement action against member states non-compliance with EU law, stressing that monitoring is not enough to combat “the rise and entrenchment of autocratic and illiberal tendencies”.
• In February 2024, MEPs highlighted the tightening environment for protection of democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights across the EU, particularly in Spain, France, Greece, Slovakia, Malta, and Hungary.

One focus of attack is the judiciary, as a representation of law and government, a manifestation of the elite. Movement to increase representation of right-wing ideologies within courts undermines the impartiality and independence of the judicial system. This was seen in Poland and Hungary, where the constitutional courts of both states were dominated by members of the then ruling parties (the Law and Justice (PiS) and Fidesz (Hungarian Civic Alliance) parties respectively).

The risk of a rising far-right lies in whether it becomes a greater political force than the centre-right. Despite both being right-leaning, traditional conservative rhetoric opposes the radical ideals and policy advocated by the far-right. For example, following the 2025 German parliamentary election, conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz dismissed the idea of a coalition with the runner up, the AfD, citing “fundamentally different views”.

Euroscepticism

For modern European far-right parties, Euroscepticism goes hand in hand with anti-establishment sentiments. It is tied in by an association with crises with the Eurozone, migration, Brexit, and COVID-19. Anti-EU sentiments are frequently reflected in the words of far-right spokespersons.

In the UK, Reform leader Nigel Farage has been a key proponent of Euroscepticism, leading the successful 2016 campaign for the UK to leave the EU. When interviewed about what he would do as Prime Minister, he said “the first thing we have to do, is we have to get rid of the ECHR”. The ECHR is the European Convention on Human Rights, which has received right-wing criticism for blocking the deportation of some asylum seekers from the UK.

Although unlikely, there is potential for other nations to present their withdrawal from the EU should the far-right gain momentum in those areas. Right-wing parties in Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Poland, and Sweden have advocated for renegotiation or withdrawal from the EU. This would have significant implications for trade and security in the region should such a movement come to pass. 

Final Word

It has become increasingly clear that established European democracies are facing significant efforts to erode legal, judicial, and democratic safeguards. The normalisation of nationalism and xenophobic ideologies enables the gradual erosion of human rights; the preservation of democratic values therefore demands stronger opposition in response to this upswing in right-wing extremism. 

It is essential that policymakers weigh the influence of far-right pressure groups that seek to undermine democracy and fundamental freedoms against planned government approach to societal issues, identifying and mitigating the dangers of extremist policy proposals. Strengthening the checks and balances which safeguard civic society is central to the diminution of far-right extremism and combating authoritarianism. Further efforts should also be made to shift national attitude, promoting EU values like democracy and freedom. This can be stimulated through political education, campaigns to counter disinformation, and strengthening ties between local authorities and citizens to decentralise party politics as the basis for political discussion. 

Niamh Allen, is  GPIU Fellow at the Sixteenth Council