Trump is the winner, Putin and Assad - Louzers: Politico summed up 2024
And while the last days of 2024 are passing, Politico Playbook journalists have summed up the year. 2024 was the year when populist right returned popularity on both sides of the Atlantic, with double power. The re -election of Donald Trump in the US and a surge in the support of right -wing parties in the elections to the European Parliament showed that Brexit and Trump's first victory in 2016 were not accidental.
They became the first manifestations of political leitmotif that dominates now, announcing a rigid anti -immigration policy, a reaction to the green agenda and the probable beginning of new trade wars. In Europe, Georgia Meloni, the first woman in the post of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Italy, appeared as the nominal head of the new anti -immigration movement, which quickly changes the political landscape of Europe.
While centrist and centrist left-centered, nominally control the majority in the European Parliament, the former Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Moravetsky-ready to replace melons as the head of European conservatives and reformists in January-claimed that the shadow major The European People's Party and the extremely right "patriots of Europe" will actually command in 2025. And Nigel Faraj, aka Mr.
Brexit, now states that it is a "true" leader of opposition of the United Kingdom? Among this right drift, the special mention is deserved by Frenchwoman Marin Le Pen and her obvious heir Jordan Bardell.
This extremely right duo not only accumulated more power both in the European Parliament and in the National Assembly of France in 2024, but also became political figures, overthrowing one macron government and lifting a metaphorical gun to a new government, headed by Francois Prime Minister Byr. Expect much more shocks from the national rally this year. Despite the testosterone injected by Western politics, in 2024, politicians took key positions in Brussels.
Ursula von Der Lyen won another five years at the top of the EU executive, Robert Metsola returned to the post of President of the European Parliament, and Kai Callas, former Prime Minister of Estonia, became the EU's main diplomat. Four out of six Vice Presidents in this European Commission are women, including Spanish Teresa Ribira in the powerful role of the Commissioner on Competitiveness and Finnka Henna Virkunun in the gravitus role of the digital king.
The EU in the United States represents the Lithuanian Jovita Unlucky, and let's not forget that Frenchwoman Christine Lagarde is still headed by the European Central Bank. It should also be emphasized that two of the most influential figures in the center of the right shift of Europe, Meloni and Le Pen are women.
2024 also became the year when the central and eastern states of Europe have turned from applicants for the role of EU intermediaries on real EU intermediaries, taking advantage of the Franco-German vacuum. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk became the dominant force of the European People's Party, as well as the EU effort organizer on Ukraine, while another Pole, Piotr Seraphin, took over the management of the budget portfolio A block defense portfolio was created.
From the Callas, who heads the diplomatic service, the Finn, which heads digital policy, and Lithuanian, which represents Brussels in Washington, gives the so -called "flank states" strong power over a large part of the EU policy. NATO ends 2024 more and more powerful than ever. Even Trump seems to have made peace with the Alliance, moving from threats to bring Washington to increased pressure on European countries so that they spend more on defense.
This puts the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, who held the position of NATO Secretary General in October, in a situation in which he will form a transatlantic relationship next year.
Was a more sad story in 2024 than the history of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Solz, who never got along but now united by political misfortune? In 2024, Macron received a blow to a blow: from the defeat of his party in the elections to the European Parliament to the extraordinary elections, which enshrined the growth of extremely left and extremely right parties in France, and the collapse of two governments in one year.
(And maybe the third - the year has not been over). Scholtz did not show himself much better, forced to appoint early elections after the collapse of the ruling coalition, which never worked properly from the beginning. These two not only lost in 2024, but also weakened the famous Franco-German engine that should move forward "EU project".
Does anyone remember the promise of Russian President Vladimir Putin to conquer Ukraine during a three-day special operation? Well, in 2024 everything went wrong, since Ukraine not only held back Russia's attacks, but also seized part of the Russian territory during surgery in the Kursk region. As the Russian economy overheats against the background of high inflation and chronic labor shortages, Putin lost the bridgehead in Syria (and the way to Africa) with the collapse of Bashar Assad.
And Moscow has completed the year, apologizing (but not admitting guilt) for the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft. The arguments in favor of Putin's best friend in Europe, the Prime Minister of Hungary Orban, can be made. His 14th year in power coincided with the economic problems that are deepening, and with the rise of Peter Madyar, the leader of the opposition, who is about to challenge Orban for his post in the 2026 elections.
The former Syria dictator ended a year with shame, his country was under the control of his former enemies, and he hid in Moscow, insisting that it was not his choice. And now, it is rumored, he is about to throw his own wife Asma Assad. Against the background of the energy crisis and the slow recession of the once mighty automobile sector, the German economy should be completed this year as well as in 2023 - with zero growth.
The head of the Central Bank of the country Joachim Nagel does not adorn the problem, preventing this month that Germany "fights not only with constant economic counter -winds, but also with structural problems. " Since Trump will probably strengthen the trade war between the US and Beijing when it returns to the White House, Germany, which has reached for continuing trade with China, may well be between two lights. Nicht gut.
2024 was not successful for the praised agenda of the EU on climate and decarbonization. On the eve of the parliamentary elections, von der Lien retreated from the forest deforestation bill to reassure angry farmers. But this can only be the beginning of the collapse, as the right -wing Europe promises more to roll up the green course, including plans for step -by -step refusal of internal combustion engines by 2035.
Donald Tusk will focus on the presidency in the first half of next year - but not that it will allow Poland to oversee the legislation through the Council of the European Union.
Instead, the attention of the Polish Prime Minister will focus on the presidential election in Poland in May and the critical task of securing a friendly successor to Andrzej Dudi, who wasted several opportunities to undermine Tusk's authority and his popular support, not allowing him to implement most of his election program.
The presidential election takes place at a time when Tusk is trying to fulfill promises, data during last year's campaign, such as relief of access to abortion or civil partnership permission, regardless of gender, while maintaining its coalition with the Polish People's Party, Poland 2050. "The Polish government views these elections as absolutely fundamental to the future of the country," says Piotr Bora, the head of the European Council for International Relations in Warsaw.
Mikhail Kavalashvili, a former football player, who became an extremely right Balamut, was inaugurated on Sunday as a new President of Georgia against the background of statements that his elections were fictitious. Cavallashvili spoke of Georgian "traditions, values, national identity, holiness of the family and faith" when he was oath in Tbilisi, while his pro -European predecessor Salome Zurabishvili insisted that she remains a legal president.
On Saturday, Zurabishvili joined thousands of people around the country who formed live chains in protest against the inauguration of Cavanlashvili. Croatian President Zoran Milanovich, a NATO and EU critic whose populism deserved comparison with Donald Trump - won the first round of the country's presidential election on Sunday, scoring 49. 1 percent of votes. He is now waiting for a second round against a candidate who took second place, Dragan Primorats from the Croatian Democratic Union (CDU).
The technological billionaire and friend of Donald Trump Ilon Musk doubled the extremely right party "Alternative for Germany" (AFD) on the weekend, calling it "the last spark of hope" of the country in the article in Welt Am Sonntag. The article provoked a negative reaction of German politicians who accused the mask of interfering with the early elections on February 23, and the leader of Christian Democrats and the potential chancellor Friedrich Martz called him "obsessive and self -confident.
" President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in X last night that the United States is preparing a "significant package of support for our soldiers. " He awaits an official statement from Washington by the end of 2024. The Finnish police stated on Sunday, which found traces on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where a ship transporting Russian oil was likely to break the underwater cables with its anchor.
This is not the first time a Chinese or Russian ship is suspected of sabotage on a critically important European infrastructure, but Finland's reaction has still testified to increased reaction of the Western Alliance. "We know who did it," said Finnish President Alexander Stubb at a press conference on Friday, without putting direct accusations on any country for probable sabotage.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has promised to strengthen the patrol of the Alliance in the Baltic Sea and support Finland's investigation as to whether the ship linked to Russia is responsible for the damage caused to its communication infrastructure. Meanwhile, Estonia has sent a naval patrol ship to protect Estlink 1 power cable, which remains in working order.