Breakfast Session under the Chatham House Rule

European Political Identity: Cracks in the Façade or Systemic Faults?

May 16, 08:30-09:45

Room: Berlin

Europe has, for centuries, been a home vast and welcoming enough for diverse political ideologies and movements—resilient enough to hold together. Recent wars and crises have put unity in question. Fractures may go well beyond a healthy disagreement, obstructing decision-making and driving societal discontent. Electoral authoritarianism is no longer alien to our continent. Populists have moved from the margins to the mainstream, while the political centre may be thinner than we thought. But not all movement is towards the extremes. What explains these dynamics and fault lines? Which internal and external forces are driving the polarisation? And what does a fragmented political Europe mean for its ability to act as a unified security actor in the face of immediate threats?