Le Pen's 2027 bid upends Brussels' hopes for a milder far-right leadership

Marine Le Pen’s decision to run in 2027 undermines Brussels’ hopes that her protégé Jordan Bardella would offer a more pragmatic, EU-friendly far-right leadership; Bardella is viewed as less ideological and more open to working with Meloni and Merz, while Le Pen carries baggage on Russia and EU skepticism. A win for either could reshape EU budget and defense dynamics, with Bardella’s relative inexperience potentially a hurdle or a pragmatic advantage, but both would mark a rupture in France’s traditional EU stance.