End of EU in the offing?

For liberal forces in European Union and across the globe as well, Sunday was a day for both delightful and shocking news.

Far right wing politicians conceded defeat in presidential election in Austria, but they won a referendum in Italy resulting in resignation of the Italian prime minister.

The good news which came in Austria within a month after stunning win of Donald Trump in USA presidential election was viewed as very significant.

Read: Austrians reject far right in presidential election 

Also read: Brexit: Causes and Implications

Trump's election win made jubilant far right politicians in many European countries. Many far right politicians in Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Netherlands and Hungary were first to congratulate Trump on election victory.

In such a situation, Austrian voters sent a blow to the far right camp by roundly rejecting Freedom Party leader Norbert Hofer, who is against EU and anti-immigration, in the Sunday's presidential election.

Read: Italy's Renzi quits after crushing referendum defeat

They elected former Green Party leader Alexander Van der Bellen, a pro-EU leader who had put the June Brexit referendum at the center of his campaign. Bellen warned Austrians that Hofer would lead Austria down the same road as Britain and warning voters not to "play with this fire".

Bellen's win in the presidency gave a sigh of relief to the EU leaders, according to a report of Reuters. If elected Hofer would have been the first far-right president of a European country since the Second World War and of course in the era of EU.

"A weight has fallen from all of Europe's shoulders," said German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat. "If the projections are confirmed, the result of the election in Austria is a clear victory for reason against right-wing populism."

But the relief last only for a few hours. A stunning win of far right leaders in Italy's referendum crushed joyous mood of liberal forces in EU.

Conceding defeat Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced his resignation without delay as voters dismissed his plans for constitutional reform in a crushing referendum that saw close to 60% of voters opted for “no”.

Marine Le Pen and a host of right-wing politicians have heaped praise upon Italy’s decision to reject Renzi’s constitutional referendum – and heralded the rejection as the beginning of the end for the struggling EU, said the Daily Express of UK in a report today.

Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Front party, tweeted her congratulations to Italy for rejecting Renzi. "The Italians have disavowed the EU and Renzi. We must listen to this thirst for freedom of nations.”

Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s Lega Nord party, took to social media to celebrate the increasing popularity of antiestablishment movements across the world. “Long live Trump, long live Putin, long live Le Pen and long live the League!”

Beppe Grillo, leader of the Five Star Movement, a far rightist platform in Italy, posted a celebratory message on his blog immediately after Renzi confirmed he was set to resign in a live speech in Rome. “Hooray! We won democracy."

The upset in Italy came in six months after UK referendum in which far right wing politicians were able to influence voters to vote for leaving EU. Conceding the defeat, the then UK prime minister, David Cameron, resigned.

While EU was reeling from the shock of Brexit, Trump won the US presidency using populism and anti-establishment sentiments.

The outcome of the referendum in Italy undoubtedly boosted morale of far right wing politicians in Europe.

"The victory for No [in the referendum] could have profound consequences for Italy and will probably rattle European and global markets because of concerns about the country’s economic future and evident support of populist and Eurosceptic parties," said The Guardian in a report today.

The result will be seen as a clear rejection by voters of establishment politics in favour of populist and anti-immigrant forces, much as the UK’s vote in June to leave the EU and the election last month of Donald Trump in the US were. But that could be an oversimplification of the results, it continues.

Ahead of the referendum in Italy, Simon Tilford, of the Centre for European Reform think tank, on Friday said the two big flashpoints for the EU would be Italy’s constitutional referendum and France’s presidential election, The Guardian said on Friday in a report styled: "Year of electoral tests may end European Union as we know it"

In his views in Italy, if Renzi loses the referendum, can’t survive, and elections then return a government committed to a referendum on taking Italy out of the euro.

The battle of ballots in Austria and Italy on Sunday was considered as the first test.

More tests are in the offing. In the next 12 months, some EU member states including Germany and France face a dozen referendums and parliamentary and presidential elections. Many populist and Eurosceptic parties are preparing to contest those ballots. They believe that what happened in the UK and the US can now happen in Europe, according to a report of The Guardian on December 2.

The rise of populist leaders sent a shock wave across EU, a politico-economic union of 28 member states which gradually developed after the World War II and worked effectively to stop war among European countries.  

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said “Europe could die” in the face of “attacks from the populists”.

German’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has warned of the scourge of “demagogic populism.”

The EU’s Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici has suggested Europe’s voters might be poised “to destroy it”.

Simon Tilford, of the Centre for European Reform think tank, said: "If Le Pen should win in France [election in April]­... We don’t know what would happen, but she’s talked of a referendum on the euro, and on France’s EU membership. A strongly Eurosceptic government in France would mean a full-blown crisis in Europe.”