The European elections of May 2014 turned into a triumph for parties hostile and sceptical towards the EU. Having increased their return markedly compared to the previous elections, they now occupy – depending on how you count – 118 to 170 of the 751 seats in the European Parliament1. In France and Great Britain, but also in Denmark and Greece, parties that are sceptical or openly hostile towards the EU even became the strongest political force, leaving behind – at least virtually – the parties that were ruling the country at the time of the European elections. In Greece, as we know by now, the winner of the European elections, the left-wing alliance Syriza, is actually responsible for the government in a coalition with the Party of Independent Greeks (ANEL) that is regarded as national populist.

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