Marine Le Pen's National Rally could find itself punching well above its weight after Europe goes to the polls in June.
The party, which comes under the umbrella Identity and Democracy (ID) group is currently ranking at number one in the French polls.
And EU-wide polling suggests the ID group could win as many as 87 seats at the June election - an increase of 27 seats. This would make ID the third biggest group in the European Parliament.
While this wouldn't be enough to disrupt the ruling coalition in the EU, made up of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), it would be enough to allow the Eurosceptic parties to wreak havoc.
Marine Le Pen's National Rally could find itself punching well above its weight after Europe goes to the polls in June
PA
Themistoklis Asthenidis, the former Political Director of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR), previously told GB News that one of the most significant consequences of the June EU parliament elections would be the ability for eurosceptic parties to become "disruptors".
He explained: "It’s a national government that takes decisions on policy with the EU. So even with huge numbers at the EU parliament, it's unlikely that they could impact overall policy direction or influence national vetoes.
"It is the national Government that approves legislation at the European Parliament... But that said, they can be disruptors."
And last month, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella promised to do just that. He said he has plans for the party to become a "blocking minority" in parliament.
But in which policy areas is this likely to have the biggest impact?
A report fromn the European Council on Foreign Relations predicts that the expected swing towards Eurosceptic parties could weaken EU support for Ukraine and net zero targets, such as the EU's Green Deal.
They're also likely to mobilise their ranks to oppose anything that promotes further federalism, including proposals for treaty change in the EU.
The think tank's report suggests that eurosceptic parties will be the most successful in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia.
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The right-wing parties are expected to come second or third in Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden.
It argues that far-right parties will have more involvement in EU decision-making than they have since the European Parliament became directly elected in 1979, with its authors saying the report should "serve as a wake-up call for European policymakers about what is at stake” in the election.
So even if the EU's ruling coalition is left intact following the elections, Von der Leyen should be concerned at the impact any boost for Le Pen and her allies might have on the EU Parliament's ability to function undisturbed.
