The rise of the hard right threatens Europe’s political stability

Voters in America are often asked by politicians if they are better off now than they were four years ago. As they look forward to European elections on June 6th-9th, their transatlantic counterparts would probably rather not delve much into the five years since they last trudged to the polls. The European Union has had a half-decade to forget. Eight months after the vote in May 2019 the bloc lost a member for the first time in its six-decade history when Britain left. Weeks later covid-19 hit. The continent emerged from lockdown to face war on its doorstep and an energy crisis that has laid its economy flat and boosted the fortunes of xenophobic parties.