On Sunday, April 29, 2019, for the first time since the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, 40 years ago, a Spanish far right party entered the Spanish parliament. Far behind the Socialist party (PSOE) that received around 29% of the votes, Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, appeal to enough people to make history. It happened only few days ago, but this event illustrates the evolution of the European vision.

One could consider that Vox is only one of many political parties that rose in the last years, sliding into the faults of the European Union. Le Rassemblement National in France, Alternative für Deutschland (AFD) in Germany, or Lega Nord per l’indipendenza della Padania in Italy and many other parties are becoming more and more active and attractive to European citizens. Ahead of the 2019 European Elections of May they strive to appeal to even more Europeans and create a change in Europe. Santiago Abascal based his campaign on domestic issues like the need of a more centralized power to prevent independentists in Catalonia or the Basque country to gain more power. Yet, despite those national aspects the nationalist parties all share some points of their agenda. They often base their guideline on immigration, on the protection of national interests or the rejection of the European Union.

Their rise is not sudden and inexplicable. Indeed, the general evolution of society is often one of the reasons why political changes occur. In many countries it is due to a general discontent with the politics that have been made in previous years. In France for example, for decades the power has traditionally been divided between the right and the left. Yet the 2017 election saw a massive change occurring when Marine Le Pen, a far-right politician, was qualified for the final round of the presidential election. It highlighted the changes that a part of the French population desired to see.

Since the implementation of European elections in 1979, turnouts have never been high. Yet, it represents a major challenge for the stability of Europe. Indeed, it is the way for the biggest parties to remain in power and ensuring the longevity of the European Union. Whereas for nationalist parties, it can represent a massive tool to block European initiatives that they are opposed to by winning more seats in the EU Parliament. It would be a way to to appeal to even more people because their visibility and credibility would be increased, or for emerging parties to gain more power.

Placed in a global context, the European elections is even more important and determining for geopolitical relations. Indeed, the European Union, China and the USA represent the three main global powers. A strong Europe is a strong challenger to China and the USA. Yet internal divisions diminish its external power. This aspect is often used by Europhiles to defend and spread the European model. Thus, the outcome of the elections will definitively draw a new future for Europe.