Strasbourg, France

EU’s shrinking center: More than 50 percent of voters turned out for the European Parliament elections last week—the highest rate in decades—and voted for change. The EU legislature’s long-dominant center-right and center-left coalition slumped, going from 54 percent of the seats to 43 percent. Far-right, populist parties surged, particularly in France and Italy, increasing their share of seats from 20 to 25 percent. But they did not sweep into power as many experts had predicted, while the pro-environment Greens and pro-business Liberals did better than expected. The biggest upset was in the U.K., where the new Brexit Party, led by Euroskeptic Nigel Farage, trounced the Conservatives, taking 29 of Britain’s 73 seats and making it one of the largest single parties in the chamber.