Election leaves European parliament stirred but not shaken

After participating in an election that was not even supposed to happen in the UK, British voters appeared as divided as ever between leavers and remainers.

Although the new Parliament will certainly be more fragmented than its predecessor, those committed to the European Union will continue to hold sway in the assembly.

Gains by the pro-European Greens appeared to reflect a growing awareness among European voters of the perils of climate change and a recognition that the threat is best addressed on a pan-European level.

The rise of the populist right is worrying for the majority who continue to embrace European unity but the latter can take some comfort from the fact that the right might have done even better.

The collapse of Wilders'nationalist grouping in the Netherlands, a state where the new right phenomenon emerged earlier than in most European countries, could be a signal the phenomenon has peaked.

Italy's Salvini followed up his party's clear victory by suggesting a new eurosceptic coalition could be emerging to challenge the centrist dominance of the EU. More likely is that the center-left and center-right will reach a pact with the new liberal grouping and Greens to foil the plans of the eurosceptic disrupters.

The weakness of the right, despite its latest gains, is that it is more united about what it opposes - immigration, free movement, free trade and closer unity in Europe–than what it actually wants. Farage's party did not even present a manifesto beyond a demand to quit the EU now.

The right-wing newcomers to the assembly may aspire to undermine the EU from within but they will find themselves up against a solid bloc of pro-Europeans.

Many European voters are skeptical about how the EU currently works but few seem inclined to follow the UK's still unresolved Brexit route.

It might pan out that British voters did the rest of the continent a favor by highlighting the complexities of opting out. In the latest vote, even the right-wing parties were not calling for in-out referenda.

A world now accustomed to dealing with Europe as a bloc, particularly in the field of trade, can be assured that not much is likely to change as a result of the latest five-yearly election.

The nationalism bloc increased its representation by 58 seats. Nevertheless, its improved showing reflected a mood of disgruntled protest rather than revolution.