अमूर्त

Climate crisis brings crucial instability in the European political scene

Giannis Tsironis*

Angela Mercel, the most powerful European politician, has seen her power questioned during the recent influx of refugees (mainly from Syria) and immigrants in the European Union. The fact is that Germany actually needs foreign working hands to reduce labor costs. Factories that haven’t yet decided to move to India, China or other more competitive countries, need immigrants. Despite this economical fact, the German political scene is moving to a totally different direction. FDP, ex central party that lost its power during past decades and in 2013 didn’t achieve to enter the parliament, investing in xenophobic rhetoric augmented its power from 4,8% to 10,7% and became the 4rth political power in Germany. The new extreme right party AfD, also gained the 3rh position in the parliament and from 4,7% (0 seats) in the 2013 elections raised to 12,6% (96 seats). Most of those votes came from Angela Merkel’s party that lost 8,6% of its voters.