In 2017, France’s new president went to Paris's Sorbonne University to defend Europe’s strategic autonomy. Since then, there's been Covid and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Now, ahead of June's EU elections, Emmanuel Macron was back with an update.

"We are witnessing the right wing gathering strength, but we probably still won't see a united and effective right-wing populist or far-right extremist faction," Decker told DW. He believes the two factions' political agendas are too far apart for that to happen.

Migration, identity and borders are always big issues in European politics, but perhaps never more so than in European elections. A cornerstone of the current five-year political programme has been the EU's pact on asylum and migration.

The EU is adopting an unprecedented package of climate, energy and environmental legislation. The Green Deal has been an essential component of the European Parliament's work over the last five years, and of the European Commission's agenda. EU member states have highlighted the importance of the energy transition in light of the war in Ukraine.