Source: University of Kansas
Population and net migration in 2023
Source: CIA World Factbook
President Emmanuel Macron leads a centrist coalition, Ensemble.
| Party | Description |
|---|---|
| National Rally | National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, is a hard-right party and the successor to the National Front, founded by Ms Le Pen’s father. RN is a nationalist and Eurosceptic party, with a tough line on immigration. |
| New Popular Front | The New Popular Front (NFP) is a newly formed alliance of left-wing parties. It is made up of Socialist, Green and Communist parties as well as Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s Unsubmissive France. |
| Ensemble | Ensemble (ENS) is a coalition of centrist parties, including Mr Macron’s Renaissance party; the pro-European MoDem; Horizons, a party founded by Edouard Philippe, a former prime minister; and others. |
| Reconquest | Catholic far-right party; founded in 2021 by Eric Zemmour, an anti-immigrant radical |
Source: Economist
Source: CIA World Factbook
Chancellor Friedrich Merz leads a coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD.
| Party | Description |
|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | Centre-right; appeals to rural and older voters |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | Centre-left; traditionally party of the working classes and the trade unions |
| Green Party | Environmentalist; appeals to well-educated, urban demographic |
| Christian Social Union (CSU) | Regional Bavarian “sister party” of the CDU |
| Free Democrat Party (FDP) | Neo-liberal, pro-free market |
| Alternative for Germany (AfD) | Far-right; nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam |
| Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) | Left-leaning on economic policies; anti-immigrant |
Source: DW
Source: CIA World Factbook
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leads a Centre-right coalition of Lega, Forza Italia, Fratelli d’Italia and NM.
| Party | Description |
|---|---|
| Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) | Right-wing party; espouses conservative values, including the protection of Italian culture, traditions, and national identity |
| League (Lega) | Right-wing party; emphasizes national identity and sovereignty, particularly regarding immigration and regional autonomy; eurosceptic. |
| Go Italy (Forza Italia) | Center-right party; pro-European |
| NM (Noi moderati, or Us Moderates) | Center-right party |
| Democratic Party (Partito Democratico) | Center-left; espouses social democratic values, including social justice, equality, and the protection of civil rights |
Source: PolitPro
Source: EU
The European Council brings together the elected leaders of EU countries. These leaders meet at least four times per year. Their meetings are often referred to as ‘European summits’. The European Council sets the EU’s main political priorities and overall policy direction. It is chaired by a president who is elected every 2½ years.
Source: EU
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. Its main roles include:
- proposing new laws and policies
- monitoring their implementation
- managing the EU budget
The Commission also ensures that EU policies and laws are correctly applied across Member States, negotiates international agreements on behalf of the EU, and allocates funding. Additionally, it represents the interests of the EU on the global stage, ensuring a coordinated approach among EU countries.
A College of 27 Commissioners, led by the Commission President, steers the Commission’s work. The Commissioners work on specific policy priorities that are set out by the Commission President.
Source: EU
The Members of the European Parliament are directly elected by voters in all Member States to represent people’s interests with regard to EU law-making and to make sure other EU institutions are working democratically.
MEPs work through political groups and alliances. The following table is adapted from Reuters.
| Group/Alliance | Description |
|---|---|
| European People’s Party (EPP) | The centre-right group is the largest in the European Parliament, dominated by German Christian Democrats, with a fair smattering of Poles and Romanians. The group has forged an alliance with the socialists and liberal Renew Europe for the past five years, dividing up senior posts and driving through policies such as the “Green Deal”. |
| Socialists & Democrats (S&D) | The centre-left group is the second-biggest in the European Parliament, with its largest bloc of MEPs from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Workers Party. It became the focus of the Qatargate cash-for-lobbying scandal in late 2022 after the arrest of some of its MEPs and staff. It says its priority is to fight unemployment and make societies fairer. |
| Patriots for Europe | Far-right group; opposed to immigration, the Green Deal, social progressivism and military assistance to Ukraine. |
| European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) | Once the home of Britain’s Conservative Party, the hard right ECR is dominated by members of Poland’s eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS), which battled with Brussels when in government until late 2023. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) are part of the group. Still hardline on migration and believing the EU has overreached, Meloni has shown greater willingness to cooperate with others in the EU. |
| Renew Europe | The third group in the governing coalition is very much dominated by French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. “We are unequivocally and unapologetically pro-European,” the liberal group says, stressing its support for EU democratic values. |
| Greens/EuropeanFree Alliance | The party dominated by Germany’s Greens can claim success in the past legislature with the EU Green Deal fight against climate change despite not being part of the three-group majority. |
| The Left Group - GUE/NGL | The Left, including MEPs from La France Insoumise, Spain’s Podemos Unida and Germany’s Die Linke, prioritises workers’ rights and economic justice, equality for women and minorities. |
| Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) | Radical far-right group, led by severely anti-immigrant Germany’s Alternative for Democracy (AfD), which had been previously expelled from now-defunct Identity & Democracy group. |
Membership by political group
Source: EU
NOTES
Population figures are from UN World Population Prospects 2024. Global demographic indicators are available at https://population.un.org/dataportal/home
Thanks to Cristina Ciocirlan for helpful suggestions.
Updated: 2025-05-27
q-europe-politics.qmd