Europe has survived one round of tests, but its troubles are far from over
The sharp slowdown in the migrant crisis since 2015, Emmanuel Macron’s defeat of anti-EU populist Marine Le Pen in France earlier this year, and the likely re-election of Germany’s Angela Merkel have reinvigorated optimism that Europe has survived yet another round of challenges. Not so fast. There will be many more problems to manage in coming months, and the current confidence is unlikely to last long. First, the entrance onto the stage of the youthful, energetic Macron has made France the envy of others across Europe hungry for a new generation of leaders in their own countries. But the most remarkable outcome of France’s elections this year was the scale of defeat for the centre-right and centre-left parties that have dominated French politics for decades. Pro- or anti-EU, French voters want change, and Macron must deliver it with a legislature in which 70% of deputies are serving in government for the first time. If inexperience undermines his ability to revitalise France’s eco...
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