Dear Sir or Madam,

The rise of populist movements and parties has not only shaped national elections in many European countries in recent years, but is also shaping the 2019 European elections. In comparison with previous years, new lines of division have emerged and political disputes have become more strongly polarised in the run-up to these elections: “for” or “against” Europe? Should we be “against” the further development of the common democratic institutions of the European Union, as left-wing and right-wing populists demand, or should we be “for” such development, along with the mainstream parties? But do such divisions also reflect voters’ preferences? Why are more and more people turning to populist forces and parties in many European democracies? And what are the causes of populism?

The new edition of our Policy Brief deals with these questions:
“Europe's Choice”
by Prof. Dr. Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Dr. Robert Vehrkamp and Dr. Christopher Wratil

The results in detail can be found in our publication: “Europe's Choice”

The Policy Brief of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's “Future of Democracy” program provides analyses of current challenges to our democracy.

We hope you find it enjoyable and informative, and look forward to receiving any feedback you might have.

Kind regards,

Dr. Robert Vehrkamp and Christina Tillmann

Overview of previous policy briefs