The Sweden Democrats, a far-right party which came third in the September 2018 legislative elections, has backtracked on its proposal of leaving the European Union, which had been a pillar of its programme.
In a column in the Aftonbladet newspaper, party leader Jimmie Akesson explained that he would prefer to reform the EU from the inside in order to give more power back to the nations. “It this doesn’t work in the long term, I don’t rule out Sweden renegotiating the conditions of its membership or holding a referendum,” he added.
It should be noted that this idea of a “Europe of nations” is on the rise among other European populist parties. In France, only two intractable leaders of nationalist parties, François Asselineau (Union Populaire Républicaine) and Florian Philippot (Les Patriotes) are still advocating for France to leave the EU. The latter broke away from Marine Le Pen because he regretted her change in position over the EU and the euro.
For Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, it is no longer a matter of calling for a “Frexit referendum.” Le Pen is now advocating “another Europe,” a “union of European nations.”
This trend is also being followed by the far-left La France Insoumise. At the party’s summer academy in September 2018, Jean-Luc Mélenchon very clearly rejected the scenario of leaving Europe, also expressing the desire to negotiate with Brussels from the inside.
In Germany, the idea of a “Dexit” is envisaged by the AfD, the German nationalist party. But this would only be “as a last resort,” in case the requested reforms are not thoroughly implemented. [...]
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