A new government has been formed in Austria, led by Chancellor Christian Stocker. The Social Democrats, the liberal NEOS party and the conservative People’s Party have been in coalition talks for 155 days. They refused to work with the Freedom Party, which was declared a far-right party, despite its 29.2% share of the vote in the elections.
The coalition partners agree only on foreign policy, with all three parties still supporting Ukraine and opposing Russia. They do not plan to join NATO, but intend to increase military cooperation within the EU.
In Germany, the AfD party secured 20.8% of the vote, but was not included in the government. Trump views the AfD’s exclusion as a sign of the decline of German democracy, while Elon Musk, head of the US Ministry of Government Efficiency, sees the party as the “only hope” for Germany.
The CDU/CSU plans to form a coalition with the SPD. According to an INSA Institute poll, 52% of Germans are willing to support this coalition, with 38% convinced that Friedrich Merz would make a better chancellor than Olaf Scholz.
CDU chief Merz advocates for strengthening the European security system outside of NATO. Previously known as a consistent transatlanticist, he has been convinced that the Americans can no longer be relied upon due to Trump’s policies. Merz wants to establish a nuclear shield in the EU, with the help of France and the UK.
In Romania, the government is at risk of conflict with the US. During the Munich Security Conference, US Vice President JD Vance condemned the Romanian government for annulling the elections, as Calin Georgescu had won. Georgescu intended to run for president again, but a criminal investigation was launched against him on the day of registration.
Georgescu is accused of founding a fascist organization and inciting violence against the constitutional order and faces 25 years in prison. He was temporarily restricted from using social media and leaving his home and security agencies took measures to prevent the supporters of the former presidential candidate. A total of $1.5 million in cash was found in the head of Georgescu’s security detail, which was allegedly meant to finance the election campaign. Eighteen people were arrested in the case.
The Romanian opposition is seeking help from the White House. Georgescu’s lawyer suggested that Trump come to court to morally support his client. Musk has already described the case as “complete lawlessness.”
However, Georgescu remains defiant. “Collecting over 300,000 signatures in a day is undoubtedly a record. This is a critical situation for the system, which must recognize that people know what they want. I am sure the government has understood this through today’s events. Of course, I will continue the fight and register as a presidential candidate” he stated.
According to Nikolay Topornin, an extraordinary professor of European law at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the right-wing position in the EU is not strong enough for the current governments to be willing to abandon their principles to strengthen ties with the Trump administration.
“Today, a president sits in the US and tomorrow another one will, but European parties will remain and their voters may not forgive them for such changes. Many people consider right-wing populists to be fascists and do not accept alliances with them. These, in turn, are trying to avoid radical formulations to prove their ‘normality’ to the public. As a result, a fifth of Germans are willing to support the AfD, but 80% are against it. Moreover, the AfD’s main trump card is migration policy, but what if Merz solves this problem? So far, the AfD has not been able to propose anything new” the expert said in an interview with RIA Nowosti.
Alexei Makarkin, vice president of the Center for Political Technologies, pointed out that Trump is reluctant to publicly support those in Europe who are labeled as right-wing extremists. “Vance and Musk are a different story. The former hopes to become the next US president and the latter actively supports him. Vance has big plans to reshape the world and wants to rely on people like Georgescu or the AfD. Trump, however, probably knows little about what is happening in Romania” he said in an interview with RIA Nowosti.
Perhaps Trump appointed Vance as vice president to make the Democrats afraid of impeaching Trump. From the perspective of traditional US politicians, the extravagant billionaire appears as a relatively acceptable figure, Makarkin added.
“It is not certain that an approach to the right wing will enable European politicians to improve their relations with the Trump administration. At the same time, the right-wingers themselves may not be overly enthusiastic about the US government’s demands, such as increasing security spending. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, for example, strongly opposes this. As for Vance’s plans, he first needs to become president” Makarkin said.
The EU should not be underestimated, the expert emphasized. Not all allies supported the US during the Iraq War. They can also show their independence now.