And so it came to pass. The rise of political extremism evident in opinion polls across Europe for some months has manifested itself in the European elections.

Mainstream political parties may still retain the balance of power in the European Parliament, but the record performance of parties on the political fringes may force many in the EU establishment to confront what they often suppress – the growing gulf between voters and the EU institutions that represent them.

As outgoing European Parliament president Martin Schulz put it as polls closed on Sunday, it is “a very bad day” for the European Union when a party with such an explicitly racist and xenophobic agenda as the National Front wins 25 per cent of the vote in France. But he added that the results showed the European Union needed to listen to voters. It remains to be seen if his words will be heeded.

Will the new faces in the 751-strong assembly have an impact on the European Union and its political agenda over the next five years? Not as much as many voters might hope. While the European Parliament undoubtedly has much more power since the Lisbon Treaty, it still does not have the authority to initiate legislation, while national governments, who meet in the European Council and Council of Ministers formation, continue to exert the most influence on decision-making in Brussels.

Nonetheless, the parliament will have co-decision powers over a number of key legislative packages, including data protection, the EU-US trade deal and climate change. Other areas where the new parliament may flex their muscle includes financial regulation and taxation, with Ireland’s low corporate tax rate potentially coming under the spotlight once more.

The real impact of the surge in the populist vote will be felt at a national level, as evidenced by the resignation of Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore yesterday. This is particularly the case in countries with imminent general elections, such as Britain, where the rise of Ukip has spelt serious trouble for the main British political parties ahead of next year’s election.

Similarly, in Sweden, the party of prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt performed dismally in the elections, raising questions about his future, while in Slovenia, which faces a general election in the coming months following the resignation of the prime minister earlier this month, the main opposition party topped the polls. Yesterday two opposition leaders also stood down – the leader of Romania’s liberal Opposition party Crin Antonescu and Spanish Socialist Party leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba. Political extremism But the impact is not confined to its influence on the configuration of governments. The real story of the rise of political extremism in Europe is how it is shaping mainstream politics and policy across the continent. This is most starkly evident in Britain where Ukip – despite having no seats in parliament – has shaped the ruling Conservative party’s policy on immigration and the EU. Similarly, the rise of Marine Le Pen has forced the mainstream political parties in France to harden their stance on immigration as they see their voters defect in droves to the National Front.