Country Profiles — Major EU Member States

Last updated: 25 May 2026

🇩🇪 Germany

Chancellor: Friedrich Merz (CDU) Government: CDU/CSU-SPD grand coalition (since Feb 2025) Next election due: 2029 (but coalition could collapse earlier)

State of the nation:

Economy struggling — tax revenues slashed by ~€70bn for 2026-2030, blamed on Trump's Iran war causing global energy shock
Economy has been stagnant for years with high energy costs and weak export demand
Major transatlantic tensions: Merz publicly said US was "humiliated" by Iran; Trump responded by cutting 5,000 US troops from Germany
Migration policy shifted right under Merz — "asylum turnaround," pushbacks at borders
Asylum seeker numbers down
Merz proposed "associate EU membership" for Ukraine — Zelenskyy rejected it
Key challenge: Merz's weak mandate, internal coalition tensions, and an emboldened AfD at ~20%

🇫🇷 France

President: Emmanuel Macron (lame duck — serving final year, cannot run again) Next presidential election: April-May 2027

2027 Presidential Race:

Édouard Philippe (ex-PM, Horizons, centre-right) is clear early favourite — only candidate who can beat RN in round two
Marine Le Pen (RN, 57) — still strong but facing potential EU embezzlement trial appeal verdict (7 July 2026), which could bar her from standing
Jordan Bardella (RN, 30) — will stand if Le Pen is barred
Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI, 70) — declared candidacy. Platform: dismantle billionaire media empires, heavy taxes on business, opt-out from EU rules
Gabriel Attal (Renaissance) — declared on Friday (date TBC)
Bruno Retailleau (Republicans) — centre-right risks splitting the vote
Macron has said he won't step down early

State of the nation:

RN remains the dominant opposition force (polling ~30%+ in European elections)
Fiscal situation stretched — high debt-to-GDP ratio, pension reform still contested
Economy performing better than Germany but below expectations

🇮🇹 Italy

Prime Minister: Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d'Italia) Government: FdI-Forza Italia-Lega coalition Next general election: 2027

State of the nation:

Meloni lost the constitutional referendum on 23 March 2026 — 54% No vs 46% Yes (turnout ~60%)
The reform would have separated judges and prosecutors; opponents said it threatened separation of powers
First significant electoral defeat for Meloni's government
Local elections (May 2026) showed coalition still performing well
Economy stagnant — Trump's Iran war hitting energy costs hard
EU relations: Meloni a close Trump ally domestically unpopular
Press freedom concerns remain (Politico: "A dangerous new phase")
Next general election due 2027

🇪🇸 Spain

Prime Minister: Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) Government: PSOE-Sumar coalition, dependent on Catalan separatist and Basque parties Next election: TBC (currently serving full term to 2027)

State of the nation:

Sánchez still in power but embattled since corruption scandal involving wife Begoña Gómez (Apr 2024)
Catalan amnesty law passed May 2024 — controversial, approved by slim majority
Coalition with Sumar is fragile — depends on Junts, ERC (Catalan separatists) and Bildu, PNV (Basque)
Economy performing relatively well — "envy of Europe" per BBC (tourism boom, strong services sector)
Sánchez took strong anti-Trump line on Iran war trade threats
April 2026: Spain moves to grant legal status to 500,000 unauthorised immigrants — direct challenge to Vox
Far-right Vox remains significant opposition at ~12-14%

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Prime Minister: Rob Jetten (D66) — from 23 Feb 2026 Government: Minority coalition — D66 + VVD + CDA

State of the nation:

Dramatic political shift in 2026: Schoof cabinet (with PVV support) collapsed Feb 2026 after PVV withdrew June 2025 and NSC withdrew Aug 2025
New election Oct 2025: D66's Rob Jetten (38) narrowly beat Wilders
Jetten became Netherlands' youngest ever and first openly gay PM
Wilders (PVV) now in opposition, vowing to oppose everything
Minority coalition means every reform must be negotiated vote-by-vote
Key policies: migration/asylum reform, €19bn extra defence spending, healthcare/benefits cuts

🇵🇱 Poland

Prime Minister: Donald Tusk (Civic Coalition) Government: KO-Third Way-Left coalition President: Karol Nawrocki (PiS-aligned, from 2025)

State of the nation:

Tusk's pro-EU coalition government in power since late 2023
EU funds unblocked after rule-of-law restoration efforts (€137bn)
Rule of law restoration ongoing — reversing PiS judicial reforms
President Nawrocki (PiS-aligned) elected 2025 — gives PiS veto power and ability to block legislation
PiS remains largest single party (~33-35%)
Recent blow: Politico (25 May 2026): "Poland's right wing topples Kraków's liberal mayor in fresh blow to Tusk" — local election setbacks
Tusk pushing military training for all men; accusing Russia of sabotage
Former PiS justice minister Ziobro a fugitive in US facing 26 charges

🇸🇪 Sweden

Prime Minister: Ulf Kristersson (Moderates) Government: M-KD-L coalition with confidence-and-supply from Sweden Democrats Next election: 13 September 2026

State of the nation:

Kristersson in power since Oct 2022 via Tidö Agreement with SD
Most restrictive migration policy in Swedish history enacted under SD influence
Government still in office — polls suggest tight election ahead
Sweden backed Ukraine's NATO path
A September 2026 election will test whether SD can break into formal government

🇦🇹 Austria

Chancellor: Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) — caretaker Incoming: Likely Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) Government situation: FPÖ won Sept 2024 election (~28.8%, first place). ÖVP initially refused coalition but now signalling willingness. FPÖ-ÖVP coalition most likely outcome.

State of the nation:

If Kickl becomes Chancellor, he would be Austria's first far-right leader since WWII
Politico: "In Austria's Kickl, the EU has its next Orbán"
Kickl uses term "Volkskanzler" (Nazi connotations) and calls for "remigration"
EU nervously watching — Kickl would significantly alter the Council's political balance
Joined PfE grouping in European Parliament

🇧🇪 Belgium

Prime Minister: Bart De Wever (N-VA) Government: Right-wing coalition with Flemish separatists Formation history: June 2024 election — 7+ months of negotiations. De Wever became PM on 31 Jan 2025. Longest formation crisis in Belgian history finally resolved.

State of the nation:

N-VA (Flemish nationalist) largest party after June 2024 election, surprisingly beating Vlaams Belang
Government is right-wing coalition with Flemish separatist at helm
Ongoing tensions with French-speaking parties
Belgium's complex federal structure continues to make governance difficult
De Wever: the man who previously wanted to destroy Belgium now running it (Politico)

Sources

BBC News — various country profiles and election coverage
Politico Europe — country-by-country analysis (May 2026)
BBC News — "Merz wins German election, CDU returns to power" (Feb 2025)
Politico Europe — "The incredible shrinking German chancellor" (May 2026)
BBC News — "Race for French presidency sees ex-PM Philippe as early favourite" (May 2026)
Politico Europe — "Meloni loses constitutional referendum" (Mar 2026)
Politico Europe — "Spain moves to grant legal status to 500,000 unauthorised immigrants" (Apr 2026)
BBC News — "Sánchez government survives but weakened"
Politico Europe — "De Wever: the man who wants to destroy Belgium reluctantly heads toward running it" (2024)
Politico Europe — "Netherlands: Jetten ousts Wilders in shock election result" (Oct 2025)
Politico Europe — "Poland's right wing topples Kraków's liberal mayor" (25 May 2026)
Wikipedia — various country election pages and government pages