Europe Drift to the right It has been a long journey that has seen the continent’s mainstream increasingly accommodate people with previously marginal Euroskeptic views.

The expected gains of the far right in European parliamentary elections They may seem modest in pure numbers, but they are important.

The progress achieved by far-right parties may not be unexpected, nor does it constitute an existential crisis for the European Union. But it shows how the Eurosceptic right may, in the coming years, be able to tighten its grip on the direction of the Union.

Over the next 24 hours, the center parties – which are expected to remain the largest bloc in the European Parliament – are likely to talk about a “grand coalition” to confront the rise of the far right. While the far right is on track to make significant gains, the centrist parties are still in the lead.

On paper, these pro-EU parties can claim victory. Based on numbers alone, the centrist coalition held out. The center-right European People’s Party, the center-left Socialists and Democrats, and the liberal Renew Europe make up the three largest groups in the European Parliament. When you put the pro-European Green Party into that, the center is the largest bloc of all.