Austrian scandal hits Russia-fed European nationalism

In recent years we are experiencing an increase in popular nationalism throughout Europe. These forces have already extended their influence to almost all European countries, with particular emphasis on the EU. These extreme right forces are seriously challenging US efforts after World War II to create and strengthen a liberal order aimed at balancing the need between increasing international co-operation and existing demands of people for national independence. Of course, this liberal global dynamic was supported and promoted by the U.S. by the sole purpose of averting the aggressive nationalist spirit that prevailed in the center of Europe, which was witnessed devastating between the First and World War II.

After the fall of communism and the intensifying of globalism, liberal order was increasingly challenged. This was because the political control of capitalism management that had worked after World War II until the fall of communism had begun to flee the ever - growing political forces of the developed world. The creation of Free Trade Zones around the globe and the gradual loss of state sovereignty by bearing their responsibilities to the governing bodies of these Free Trade Areas and various regional integrations such as the EU is always with the primary goal of adapting to trans-national interests and international markets has influenced the citizens of rich states to feel excluded from political decision-making.

And that's where the popular nationalism phenomenon begins and arises, which has begun to grip Europe. According to a BBC analysis of April 2019, there are 17 European states in which nationalism is on the rise. The three states that top the list with increasing nationalism are Switzerland (29% of votes from the Swiss People's Party), Austria (26% Freedom Party) and Denmark (21% The Danish People's Party. Of course, such a mirror presents a challenge and signals dangerous projections for the future of the European project. The extent these parties will win remains to see the results of the European Parliament elections, which will be held from May 23rd to May 2019.

The concern of the pro-European forces is fully based on, when the goals and actions of these far-right political forces are taken into account, for opposing responsible, well-coordinated and well-informed action on these forces that, for the main purpose, have the destruction of the European project and the return of uncertainty the European continent. Not too far away in time are nationalist projects that have ravaged Europe's continent of irreparable damage that Europe had experienced, but the whole world.

What is most specifically fuelling the growth of extreme right impact across different EU states is the feeling against the ruling political elites, fears of globalisation and loss of jobs, illegal migration and the stagnation of economic development across the EU. All these factors are exploiting Russia, which has started to extend its influence mainly on those forces that are more or less in line with the Russian project and that are aimed at destroying the EU.

The release of the Dutch State's resolution by the Dutch Parliament on visa re-visor for the citizens of Albania, who, according to official statistics of the Dutch state, are almost intensive in the Netherlands regarding organised crime, then the meaningless and absurd isolation of Kosovo citizens at the time when the world is heading towards opening up not isolation, then the weakening, and why not decomposition of the political decision-making of key EU states, openly flirtings of high European policy profiles with segments of the Russian state and why not Chinese, are some of the symptoms that beset the European project.

All these extreme forces supported mainly by Russia are making it impossible for Albanians not to advance a single step towards the EU. The re-consolidation of the Russian state through Putin, at least temporarily, and the use of energy as the main instrument of Russian expansionist policies poses a challenge for Albanians towards the EU in general.

The question that should be posed is this: Was Austria's Deputy Prime Minister Strache's video scandal published at the most delicate moment for the future of the EU? Was such an explosion necessary? This may well be understood by the statement (at once after the release of the video scandal) by Chancellor Merkel on May 18, 2019, in Zagreb, after which she urged European politicians to wake up and face the extreme right.

Lady Merkel from Croatia suggested that far-right European aims at destroying the European project and that <x0nationalistism is the enemy of the European project, and this should be made clear in recent days ahead of the” elections. Also, the swift reaction of the Austrian prime minister to this relationship proved how difficult the political decision-making in Austria was as a result of the right-wing anti-European policies he co-governing with Prime Minister Kurz.

So Europe had to do something to cut off the bad disks that the extreme right parties had installed. The outbreak of the video scandal in Austria is the first serious but not decisive blow to these forces, which on one side want to be seen as the Party for People and People's, and on the other, make secret deals on the collapse of democracy and European values, as well as the destruction of the European project so much desired by European citizens, and the orientation of EU policies in favour of Russian and Chinese interests.

It remains to be seen how they will respond, if they can respond, the governments of other EU states towards these right-wing forces, which since the 2008 global financial crisis and the financial crisis that hit the Eurozone in the heart, especially Greece, Ireland and Portugal, as well as the Syrian refugee crisis, have been carefully exploiting the political environment through the EU.

All mentioned above remains to be seen if the European Union will open membership negotiations for Albania and Macedonia. If this were not to happen, then the EU credibility faced the citizens of the Western Balkan region would mark free decline and thus contribute further to deepening the crisis in the region, which the German photoide “Bild” referring to political developments in Albania not by chance was entitled “Balkan is burning”. Any destabilisation of Albania and the region would lead to Russian interests, while any advance in the region would keep the European project alive.

If the EU will not be able to move forward with Albania and Macedonia at the June 2019 meeting by opening negotiations on both countries, then it will confirm citizens' dissatisfaction with the EU's inability to resolve specific issues, including the issue of migration and economic challenges. No one can guarantee that after the Brex referendum, there will be no other referenda that, if they did, would eventually sink the European project.