Opinion and Analysis
Read the latest opinion and analysis from across Europe.
OPINION: A second French presidency for François Hollande? Really?
French history is littered with spectacular comebacks, from the Emperor Napoleon to Charles de Gaulle to Edith Piaf, writes John Lichfield. Could François Hollande, the cuddliest of politicians but tougher than he seems, return to the Elysée Palace nine years after his presidency fizzled into insignificance?
OPINION: France's traditional conservatives will not stop the Far Right in 2027
France's Les Républicains party - the conservative successors to Charles De Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy - has picked its candidate for the 2027 presidential election. The choice speaks volumes, writes John Lichfield.
OPINION: Germany's fuel crisis response shows the government has lost its mind
As an energy crisis is met with a temporary tax break and an economic downturn is met with an employee bonus scheme. Columnist Brian Melican asks, 'Has the German government gone mad?'
OPINION: Orban's demise is a blow for French far right, but not a fatal one
The Hungarian people have decisively rejected authoritarian leader Viktor Orban and France's Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella seem worried - so is this the beginning of an anti-populist wave in Europe? If only politics was so simple, writes John Lichfield.
OPINION: Le Pen pushes to cast aside 'far right' label as France redraws political map
France is being redrawn before our eyes - writes John Lichfield - the old political maps of Left-Right-Centre no longer make sense. Politicians are trying to re-invent them.
'All must have prizes': what Easter egg socialism says about Sweden
The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange wonders in this opinion piece why he still feels so outraged by the peculiar way Easter egg hunts happen in Sweden.
OPINION: Primaries cannot save France from a Trumpian future
As attention in France shifts to the 2027 presidential elections, John Lichfield looks at how the candidates will be be narrowed down and whether France is indeed 'sleepwalking into a Far-Right presidency'.
OPINION: For foreigners in France, each election brings a creeping sense of dread
The Local France's editor Emma Pearson explains why foreigners in France face an anxious year ahead as the presidential election looms large and the threat from the xenophobic far right grows ever stronger.
OPINION: Local elections show French far right is beatable - but not by this squabbling opposition
This was a Mr Potato Head election - writes John Lichfield - pick different features of the municipal results on Sunday and you can give France the face of your choosing.
ANALYSIS: Five key takeaways from the 2026 Danish election result
All votes have been counted in the Danish election and the final result has left the red bloc in a slim lead, but with many questions yet to be answered before a new government can take office. Here are five key takeaways from Tuesday's result.
OPINION: Macron is having a 'good war', but there is no good end to the Iran disaster
We are in dire straits, writes John Lichfield. Donald Trump wants allies like France, and even rivals like China, to pull his chestnuts out of the boiling oil in the Straits of Hormuz.
Politics in Sweden: Hugging Åkesson close could be the kiss of death for Liberals
Embracing the Sweden Democrats was supposed to give the Liberals access to much needed support from their allies. The risk is that it pushes their poll ratings even further into the basement, argues The Local's James Savage.
OPINION: Local elections will show if France still has the will to resist the far-right
As France prepares for key local elections, John Lichfield looks at what the results can tell us about the strength of the 'republican front', the pact that voters can make to keep out the far right.
OPINION: Why Macron will not 'do a Chirac' over this Gulf war
As the US launches strikes against Iran, Emmanuel Macron's reaction has been very different to his predecessor Jacques Chirac, who refused to join the British and American invasion of Iraq in 2003 - John Lichfield examines why.
OPINION: The death of Quentin Deranque will tilt France's elections
Two weeks after the death of Far Right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon, John Lichfield looks at the political fallout of the death of this previously unknown figure, and how it will affect France's upcoming elections.
What issues could decide the 2026 election in Denmark?
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called a general election in Denmark to take place on March 24th. Which issues and questions could prove crucial?
OPINION: Macron's offer to 'extend' the French nuclear umbrella to Europe is fraught with problems
Sharing umbrellas is never easy. France has offered to 'extend' its nuclear umbrella to other European countries without actually 'sharing' it. How can that work, asks John Lichfield.
OPINION: Far-right Bardella is beatable in 2027, but no one looks capable of it
Marine Le Pen won't be the next president of France, but could her protégé Jordan Bardella win next year's race? Bardella has flaws, writes John Lichfield, but the problem is no one has yet emerged who looks capable of beating him.
OPINION: Merz really needs to talk Germany up or he'll hand the country to extremists
Halfway through a bruising decade, the relentless focus on what is going wrong in Germany is making things worse for everyone except extremists. A more positive attitude is urgently needed, argues Brian Melican, and starting from the top.
OPINION: TV anchor's child sex conviction reveals hypocrisy of French right-wingers
Hypocrisy knows no political boundaries - writes John Lichfield - it can occur on the Left, on the Right and in the Centre. France is currently witnessing a particularly extreme and puzzling case of hypocrisy on the moralising, hard Right.
OPINION: PM has steadied France, but sacrificed any hope of cutting the deficit
Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu has, through compromise and concession got his budget passed. John Lichfield says that Lecornu will likely remain prime minister until spring 2027 - but while he has steadied the ship, he has sacrificed all hope of tackling France's ballooning deficit.
OPINION: German school grading is unfair on foreign students and it's maddening
Student participation, called 'Mitarbeit', makes up a large portion of students' grades in German schools. But the way it's assessed can be poison in the classroom, particularly for foreign pupils, writes Tom Pugh.
OPINION: This is a 1938 moment for Europe, but the war will be a trade war
European leaders sending their troops to Greenland has - writes political columnist John Lichfield - called Donald Trump's bluff when it comes to military conflict. Instead the continent faces the prospect of a long and brutal trade war.