# The plan to shut out Europe’s far right

> Source: <https://www.politico.eu/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast/a-plan-to-shut-out-europes-far-right/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication>
> Published: 2026-09-02 04:05:00+00:00

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The political center in the European Parliament is looking increasingly fragile. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart look at a proposal from two senior German MEPs for the center-right EPP and the Social Democrats to strike a much more formal deal — as relations between the two groups deteriorate and the far right gains influence.

Then: Europe says it needs giant data centers if it wants to compete in the AI boom. But who pays for them — and what happens when one arrives in your town? We look at the millions of euros governments are being asked to commit to Europe’s AI ambitions, and at the resistance to a massive Google data center in Austria.

Plus, should the European Commission just be on TikTok if it wants to reach younger voters — or is trying to look young and hip more trouble than it’s worth?

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