Politics

France, Germany and the Netherlands: The elections that could derail the EU in 2017

After Brexit rattled the European Union in 2016, a string of high-stakes elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands – along with possibly Italy – could bring even greater uncertainty to the bloc in the year to come.

Buoyed by a year of electoral revolts on both sides of the Atlantic, Eurosceptic parties will be more confident than ever as they bid to stage further upsets over the coming months. The Netherlands, France and Germany – all founding nations of the EU – head to the polls in 2017 with issues of security, migration and sovereignty looming large. They could well be joined by a fourth founding member, Italy, where the anti-establishment mood is fuelling calls for a snap election.