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The stars of the European Union (EU) sit on a flag flying outside the Berlaymont building ahead of a news conference at the end of the fifth round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. The European Union said scant progress has been made in the latest round of Brexit talks, increasing the chances of a messy departure as time is running out to clinch a deal.Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg

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By Jonathan Stearns and Viktoria Dendrinou

August 12, 2018 at 4:00 AM UTC

Updated on

August 13, 2018 at 4:00 AM UTC

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With the European Union gearing up for legislative elections in 2019, the battle between EU supporters and opponents is shaping up to be a lot like many of the contests in this summer’s soccer World Cup: back and forth, passionate and down to the wire.

Last year’s election of French President Emmanuel Macron and fourth-term victory of German Chancellor Angela Merkel put a brake on an anti-EU trend exemplified by Brexit. But just as the EU ship was steadying itself, Italy acted as a buffet by producing a populist government composed of parties far from the European mainstream.