The European Union in Turbulent Times: Geopolitical Context, Internal Fragilities and Different Visions of Europe

Following the 2024 European elections, the European Union (EU) has pursued a strategy of institutional continuity to address growing geopolitical instability and intensifying domestic contestation, especially from populist and radical-right forces. By doing this, the EU prioritised leadership stability, preserved its pro-European parliamentary majority and reaffirmed its core policy agenda. However, beneath this surface of continuity, cracks in the political and normative foundations of European integration have widened. Across the continent, mainstream parties continue to lose ground to an increasingly diverse array of challengers who question the EU's trajectory and, more specifically, its compatibility with national interests. Although no major political force currently advocates EU withdrawal, the commitment to further integration has become notably more fragile. This article examines the geopolitical, institutional, and electoral developments that have shaped the Union in 2024 and the first half of 2025.