Millions of voters across Europe no longer think the EU represents their interests. There are two things it must do

For at least the third European election in a row the EU was destined to be overwhelmed by a surging far right. Or, at least, that’s what the panicked headlines of much of Europe’s political commentary predicted in the run-up to last weekend’s elections.

However, once again, newspaper headline writers everywhere were disappointed by the more prosaic results. The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) increased its seats while the centre-left Socialists and Democrats group (S&D) remained stable. Rather than the political centre weakening, it was the progressive side of the chamber (Liberals and Greens) that haemorrhaged support (up to 40 seats) – a trend particularly apparent among younger voters in France and Germany.

The unpalatable reality is that it was these losses that drove the gains on the harder-right aisle of the European Parliament. The centre didn’t break; the progressives lost the fight.