Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
Co-leader of Alternative for Germany, AfD
Around 50,000 Moroccan migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave in late July, leaving 88 dead and handing far-right parties across Europe a potent campaign issue ahead of a cluster of national votes in 2027.
A May paper by a senior State Department official frames European elections as opportunities to install Trump-aligned governments, marking a break from eight decades of transatlantic policy.
Friedrich Merz's CDU and the Social Democrats agree a fifth grand coalition with a 13-seat majority, pledging to reform debt rules, boost the Bundeswehr and tighten borders as Germany faces recession and AfD gains.
Conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz promises four-year fix for Europe's largest economy while far-right AfD surges to second place and migration dominates the campaign.
The February 23 vote follows the collapse of Olaf Scholz's traffic light government. Polls point to a CDU-led administration, but the shape of the next coalition depends on whether smaller parties clear the five percent threshold.
From Germany to Austria, mainstream conservatives are adopting hardline immigration platforms to stem voter losses, but evidence shows the strategy only strengthens the radical right.
The billionaire's endorsement of far-right parties in Germany and Britain tests the EU's Digital Services Act and exposes transatlantic tensions over platform power.
Germany, France, UK and Norway condemn X owner's support for far-right AfD before February vote, as Scholz government dismisses influence on 84 million voters.
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