Will liberal democracy in Europe survive?

The analysis argues that while a broad coalition of Eurosceptic parties could obstruct EU integration, only radical-right populists pose a substantive threat to liberal democratic values, though their ability to implement an 'illiberal' model in Western Europe remains limited by public opinion.

• Eurosceptic parties across the political spectrum, including left-wing populists like France Unbowed and right-wing parties like the League, may collectively win a third or more of the seats in the European Parliament, which would allow them to block sanctions against member states violating the rule of law.
• There is a fundamental distinction between left-wing populists, who generally uphold liberal values and human rights, and radical-right populists, who often restrict minority and individual rights for immigrants, asylum seekers, and Roma.
• The 'illiberal democracy' model established by Viktor Orbán in Hungary, characterized by executive power over checks and balances and control of media, is not explicitly on the agendas of radical-right populist parties in Western Europe, as adopting such an autocratic regime could harm their electoral prospects.
• Democratic decline is now affecting established liberal democracies in Western Europe, evidenced by Italy's drop in The Economist's democracy ranking in 2018 and a decline in press freedom in Austria following the entry of the Austrian Freedom Party into government.
• Radical-right populist parties are becoming more coordinated and effective at using the European Parliament for funding and social media messaging, with Scandinavian parties (the Finns, Sweden Democrats, and Danish People’s Party) joining efforts led by Matteo Salvini.

APA

Akkerman, T. (2019). Will liberal democracy in Europe survive? Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/will-liberal-democracy-in-europe-survive-2019/

Chicago

Akkerman, Tjitske. Will liberal democracy in Europe survive? Green European Journal, 2019. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/will-liberal-democracy-in-europe-survive-2019/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Akkerman |first1=Tjitske |title=Will liberal democracy in Europe survive? |publisher=Green European Journal |date=14 May 2019 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/will-liberal-democracy-in-europe-survive-2019/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{akkerman2019will, author = {Akkerman, Tjitske}, title = {{Will liberal democracy in Europe survive?}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/will-liberal-democracy-in-europe-survive-2019/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }