If Europe keeps placating its own far right, how can it possibly stand up to Trump? | Thu Nguyen and Jannik Jansen

"When Ursula von der Leyen made her pitch to become president of the European Commission back in 2019, she put the European way at the heart of her appeal. Under her direction, she said, Europe would be a principled power built on multilateralism, fair trade and the rules-based order, standing firm and united against authoritarianism, protectionism and the politics of zero-sum thinking."

"Six years on, she is again calling on Europe to fight for that future. But the vision is fading fast. This summer brought a cascade of negative headlines decrying Europe's humiliation; it was the worst in years, if not in a century, some critics said. All pointed to the same reality: European leaders, fearing both a trade war and the loss of US support for Ukraine, had bowed to the wishlist of the Trump administration and left their tariff-retaliation toolbox untouched."

"But the issue runs much deeper than a lopsided trade deal. Europe's overt submission to Trump is emblematic of a broader malaise. EU leaders and institutions are not only bending to the hardening authoritarianism across the Atlantic. They also routinely placate far-right forces at home. In doing so, they corrode the very values and principles democracy, rule of law, open markets and climate responsibility that they claim to uphold."

Europe's vision of principled multilateralism and fair trade is rapidly eroding as leaders capitulate to US demands and praise an unbalanced trade agreement. Political pragmatism toward the United States has left tariff-retaliation options unused, signaling deference rather than reciprocity. EU institutions increasingly bow to a hardening authoritarianism across the Atlantic while simultaneously placating far-right forces domestically. Core values—democracy, rule of law, open markets, and climate responsibility—are being corroded through such concessions. Migration policy has shifted from seeing migrants as societal strengths to framing them as threats. Illegal pushbacks are routinely tolerated, undermining human rights and the rule of law.

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