“If there’s anything positive in this it’s that it sets the stage for a new debate on the EU that has been missing in the past 10 years,” said Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the far-right and anti-EU Sweden Democrats.
Jimmie Akesson, chairman of the right-wing party Sweden Democrats, as he acknowledges cheers during a meeting with party workers in Stockholm, Sweden.
This week’s debt deal for Europe doubles down on the concept of European integration, and could provide further ammunition for the nationalist movements that have been gaining in popularity partly as a reaction to the idea of a single Europe.
In order to back the investment in the euro, leaders in the eurozone have advocated a deepening integration of economic policies, transferring power from the national governments to the European level.
But “euroskeptics” have made advances in arguing that Europe’s elites are turning the bloc into a federal superstate against the wishes of their citizens. This week’s developments threaten to boost their arguments.
“This is a big step, only it’s in the wrong direction,” Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders said.
The eurozone rescue plan presents a dilemma for European leaders when it comes to resisting such attacks.
[…]
