Anti-Brussels rhetoric goes mainstream across Europe
But even if the bloc manages to contain the populist onslaught, growing Euroscepticism threatens to cripple the EU’s inner workings by placing national governments — instead of the commission — at the heart of the machine. Such a shift, warns, Charles Grant, founder of the Centre for European Reform, could put divisive topics, such as deeper eurozone integration, on hold "for decades" while undermining Brussels' authority in the meantime.