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The alarm over the potential consequences for France of failing to pass the state budget for 2025 and toppling its government was raised by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who cited the example of Greece.

As European leaders flock to Washington for the NATO Summit, selecting the new European leadership is in full swing in Brussels. Ursula von der Leyen is engaged in a series of meetings to prevent any accidents in the secret ballot in Strasbourg next week.

The French press headlines and media comments highlight the disastrous failure of French President Emmanuel Macron, whose decision to call early elections backfired, resulting in a victory for Marine Le Pen‘s party, National Rally, in the first round.

Marine Le Pen's National Rally party, led by the young Jordan Bardella, secured the lead in the first round of historic French parliamentary elections, potentially setting the stage for the far-right to gain power for the first time since World War II, AFP reported.

"Macron does not know what the answer is about the people's reaction, but he is taking the risk as he considers politics as gambling," argues Christian Lequesne, professor of political science at Sciences Po in Paris.

Despite their significant boost in almost all 27 countries in the European Union, far-right parties failed to create the momentum they expected in Sunday's European Parliament elections: Securing only 120-140 seats out of 720, Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni with the European Conservatives (ECR) and France's Marine Le Pen with the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, are not expected to threaten t

The euro experienced a decline against major currencies in early trading on Monday, influenced by the political uncertainty following the European Parliament elections.

The success of far-right parties across Europe has raised concerns about the ability of mainstream parties to form majorities in the European Parliament, which are essential for passing legislation.

On June 30 and July 7 the two rounds of the election – Macron suffered a crushing defeat with his party’s percentages falling to 15% while Le Pen scored 32%

The initial results show significant gains for parties such as Alternative for Germany, the FPÖ in Austria & a sharp rise for Geert Wilders' party - "Waterloo" for Macron with 15% while Le Pen's is at 32%

According to a recent poll by "Politico," far-right Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) may outnumber those from the European People's Party (EPP) in the new European Parliament.