The Guardian View: Combating Europe’s National Populists Requires Protecting the Less Well-Off
The Guardian editorial argues that Europe must defend its social model by adopting a bolder economic approach as national populists gain support among blue-collar workers, exemplified by France's National Rally and Germany's AfD.
Drawing on a US context, after Trump's political resurgence, a progressive group noted that Harris failed to address fundamental economic anxieties, risking similar nationalist appeal in Europe unless a stronger economic counteroffer is developed.
Europe currently faces multiple challenges including the war in Ukraine, the green transition, demographic changes, and growth disparities. The think tank Breugel estimates that an additional €250 billion annually may be required for EU defence alone, while Mario Draghi has urged large-scale public investment funded by EU debt.
However, bold revenue-raising measures and collective borrowing remain lacking. 'Frugal' EU member states oppose joint borrowing, and proposals for the EU's seven-year budget are described as unambitious. In France, although a wealth tax is popular, President Macron's government resists implementing it.
Ongoing disputes over pension cutbacks in France and Germany have been exploited by the RN and AfD to promote welfare chauvinism and to challenge the European social model.
Without a credible and progressive economic counteroffer, the editorial warns that Trump-style populism could gain traction across Europe, threatening social contracts continent-wide.
The piece urges European governments to avoid handing political advantage to populist forces by pursuing a new economic paradigm aimed at protecting the less well-off from the prevailing winds of change.
