Rise to the challengers: Europe’s populist parties and its foreign policy future

ECFR Policy Brief by Jeremy Cliffe, Teresa Coratella, Camille Lons, Arturo Varvelli / June 2025
In collaborazione con Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo e Fondazione CSF

Summary

• Europe’s “challengers”, or populist parties, are increasingly influencing the continent’s foreign policy.
• They differ significantly, with their divergences largely rooted in their contrasting histories, strategies and domestic interests.
• However, they also exhibit a broadly common set of instincts which challenge the vision of Europe and the world that has long dominated the foreign policy of traditional parties.
• Mainstream parties will have to adapt to these parties to establish coalitions for European sovereignty in the future.

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