Can Germany Still Call Itself a Democracy?

What happens when Europe’s ruling class can’t defeat their opponents at the ballot box?In this week’s MCC Brussels podcast we begin in Germany, where the intelligence services have officially branded the AFD as "extremist" – just as a new coalition government struggles to form under Friedrich Merz. Is this militant democracy or just democracy in name only?Next, we turn to Romania, where right-wing candidate George Simion has surged to victory in the presidential election's first round –just months after the previous vote was annulled. The establishment is panicking. Is Romania becoming Brussels' next problem child?And finally, we land in Hungary, where the European Commission is once again attacking Hungary’s immigration policy. Why? Because Budapest won’t keep convicted people-smugglers on its soil. It’s another case of EU overreach – and an attack on national sovereignty.Join guests Frank Furedi, Executive Director of MCC Brussels, and Richard Schenk, Research Fellow, and host Jacob Reynolds to unpack an explosive set of developments across the continent.🔔 Subscribe for more weekly deep dives into the most urgent political issues in Europe.👇 Let us know in the comments: Should the EU be able to ban political parties it doesn’t like?Follow MCC Brussels on social media:https://twitter.com/MCC_Brusselshttps://facebook.com/MCCBrusselshttps://linkedin.com/company/mcc-brussels/website:https://brussels.mcc.hu0:00 – Welcome & Europe in Crisis: Germany, Romania, Hungary0:46 – Germany Declares AfD "Extremist"2:59 – Ethno-Cultural Identity Debate4:04 – Militant Democracy & Thought Policing6:08 – Politicisation of Intelligence in Germany9:03 – Merz’s Chancellorship Collapses16:54 – Romania: Simeon Surges After Rigged Election24:50 – Hungary vs Brussels: Smugglers & Sovereignty28:35 – What Europe’s Political Chaos Means