The State of the European Union. The European Parliament faces its most important elections yet

45 There have been parliamentary elections in vari- ous EU states over the last two years: the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Sweden. Right-wing populist par- ties have made clear gains in these elections. In Austria the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is now part of a ruling coalition, in Italy two popu- list parties (the Northern League and the Five Star Movement) have formed a government, and in Hungary Orban’s party, Fidesz, main- tained its grip on power. There are clear grounds to say there has been a marked shift to the right in the political spectrum of the EU. The causes of the rise in right-wing populism in significant EU states Comparative studies show that several factors have caused the rise in right-wing populism (Busch/ Bischoff/Funke 2018). Five influencing factors stand out as particularly relevant: the economic development of the country in ques- tion, the growth of social inequality, the political stability or instability of the state, the migration and refugee question, and a historical and cul- tural factor. These influencing factors carry dif- fering weight from country to country. This arti- cle will explain the significance of these factors in the rise of right-wing populism in Italy, France, Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. Italy The clear winners in the Italian parliamentary elections in March 2018 were the populist par- ties: the Five Star Movement (M5S), with a 32% share of the vote (up 7 points), and the Northern League, with 17% (up 13 points). The “Social Democrats” (Partito Democratico, PD) got 18% (down 6 points), and Berlusconi’s Forza Italia (FI) got 14% (down 7 points). Italy is the EU state where (right-wing) popu- list parties are most dominant. Of the five coun- tries, it is Italy where two of the five influencing factors of right-wing populism are most pro- nounced: the socio-economic crisis and the crisis Right-wing populism in the EU: a threat to the integration process Klaus Busch