The outcomes of the Dutch and French elections earlier this year have helped to steady the nerves of those who had feared that the populist epidemic will grip the European Union in 2017. In both cases, mainstream parties managed to snap victory from the jaws of radical populists. The upcoming German elections in September are also not expected to produce any radical political change. But should the EU and its member states take solace in the breathing space provided by these elections or is the defeat of the populists secured this time around cold comfort? Do radical populists manifest a mood or a trend? How do controversial populist leaders become successful? What are the sources of the populist phenomenon and how can traditional politicians effectively challenge it? What is the impact of populism on political life in Europe and what lessons do Latin America and the US inspire in this context? What are the latent future risks of the populist nuisance for European integration and the next, 2019 EP elections?

Speakers included: Corina Stratulat, Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre (EPC), Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Associate Professor at Diego Portales University in Santiago, Chile, Marietje Schaake, Member of the European Parliament, Heather Grabbe, Director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels, Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London, UK.