The European Union is the world’s second-biggest democracy — its 27 member states are home to 450 million citizens, and this election is a once-every-five-year event.

Being pro-EU does not win politicians many votes in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus. There, Viktor Orbán’s version of an illiberal Europe appears to be the union’s top-rated political export.

The growing number of governing experiments with radical-right parties could put Europe’s democratic institutions at risk.

Britain’s Labour party looks set to win July’s general election. In recalibrating the country’s foreign policy, Keir Starmer’s government intends to work more closely with the EU while tackling global challenges.

Turbulent developments in Europe and beyond are eroding the premises upon which the EU was established. European governments must respond strategically to protect democracy.

Europe’s political scene is rapidly changing, with radical-right parties gaining ground across the continent. While they have yet to form a coherent force at the European level, their growing influence threatens to erode core EU values and complicate the union’s foreign policy making by deepening polarization and blocking consensus building.