We take the temperature of five of Europe’s key economies now that political threats appear to have diminished
What a difference a few months make. As 2017 opened, eurozone politicians still raw from the shock of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s presidential triumph were nervously awaiting elections in the Netherlands and France.
They feared that discontent would propel the populist wave into the heart of Europe and usher in far-right, anti-euro leaders. In the event, the predicted surge for Dutch populist Geert Wilders failed to materialise and in France, Front National candidate Marine Le Pen was decisively beaten by pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron.