POLICY BRIEF March 2026 COUNTERING THE FAR RIGHT IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EXPLORING PROGRESSIVE STRATEGIES IN THE AGE OF FAR-RIGHT NORMALISATION ABSTRACT This policy brief examines the growing normalisation of the far right in the 2024­2029 European Parliament(EP) and offers a set of practical recommendations to guide progressive strategies in this evolving landscape. Part 1 defines the far right and maps its influence through three threat scenarios: full alignment between the European People’s Party (EPP) and all far-right groups; EPP cooperation with the European Conservatives and Reformists but not with other far-right groups; and cooperation between far­right groups without EPP involvement. Part 2 assesses strategic responses, drawing on national case studies and findings from the academic literature. In Part 2, the policy brief proposes three sets of recommendations for progressive actors. • First, maintain the remaining elements of the cordon sanitaire while developing complementary approaches to address the normalisation of radical-right positions and limit their symbolic influence. • Second, strengthen cooperation among democratic, pro-European forces by building issue-based coalitions, enhancing coordination between national parties and their EP delegations, and further splitting the far right on divisive issues. • Third, reject far-right narratives on migration and instead prioritise positive, solution-oriented messaging on social and economic issues that offer credible, policy-specific alternatives capable of resonating with voters. AUTHORS DAPHNE HALIKIOPOULOU Professor of Comparative Politics University of York SOFIA VASILOPOULOU Professor of European Politics King’s College London IN PARTNERSHIP WITH