New Danger in Europe

Former French minister for European affairs Noëlle Lenoir focuses on the issue of populism in her contribution to L'Express magazine's new Europe blog: "The collapse of Austria's grand coalition (the Social Democratic Party and its erstwhile conservative partner, the Austrian People's Party), is not something to be brushed off. This event reflects a strong general discomfort with the European concept. There is no denying that this mistrust exists. And the causes are equally obvious (economic crisis, fear of competition, fear of the loss of jobs or of purchasing power, and a rising sense of entitlement and egoism, etc.). ... But what is new and very disturbing is the fact that these fears are nourished by political parties that traditionally have been pro-Europe. ... In my opinion, populism is THE biggest threat to Europe, analogous to the nationalism of the 1930s. The revival of populist notions within a segment of the Social Democratic Party, such as we are seeing in France, Germany and now in Austria, is a very alarming sign."

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