In Serbia, a student movement has just unseated a President who had consolidated power for around a decade. Around 400 km away, in Albania’s capital of Tirana, students have launched major anti-corruption protests against the government. And in France, students held demonstrations for weeks demanding more resources for schools. Neighbouring countries Belgium and Italy saw similar protests.Over the last month, several nations across Europe — also including Germany, Spain, Bulgaria and Portugal — have seen citizens, especially the young, protesting against public institutions. The catalysts for each country are different — rising costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis. But they point to broader pressures — distrust towards the government and uncertainty for the futureThe current unrest flaring up across borders can be geographically categorised under three geographical clusters: the Mediterranean and Southwest, parts of Western Europe and the Balkans regions like Serbia and Albania.What’s going on in the Balkans?The Balkans, situated at the continent’s periphery, were in some ways, the initiators. In late 2025, the Bulgarian government’s proposed budget for 2026 triggered protests over planned tax increases and higher social security contributions to fund increased public spending. Despite the suspension and eventual withdrawal of the budget, protests continued and widened to encompass broader concerns over corruption. Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government eventually resigned on December 11, 2025.Also Read | Protests across Europe: Behind each discontent, a distinct realityThe European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report and the OECD’s Economic Surveys: Bulgaria 2026 report include corruption as a constraint on competition and business conditions, as well as a shrinking working-age population, skills shortages and mounting pension pressures that threaten the country’s long-term economic prospects.Similarly, in Albania, the student protesters have been demanding action against corruption, greater investment in education and accountability over a controversial luxury tourism project planned by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Story continues below this adThe European Commission’s 2025 Albania Report identifies an education system hampered by outdated curricula, insufficient teacher training and inadequate infrastructure. The outcry against environmental disregard fuels “hostility towards our generation,” Alan Bollard, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand told The Indian Express. “It is seen effectively as having taken advantage of the environment without paying the price for it.”What about the Mediterranean?In the south-west, closer to the Iberian Peninsula, discontent over the unaffordability of urban life and real estate prompted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a snap election for November 29, 2026, ahead of the general election originally scheduled for 2027. Sánchez’s bid for re-election is “deeply rooted in the struggle of the Spanish middle-class whites”, former Ambassador to the EU and Brussels Manjeev Singh Puri told The Indian Express.Eurostat data from 2025 showed that 9.1% of EU residents aged 15-29 lived in households spending at least 40% of their disposable income on housing. It went on to say that 26.9% of young people lived in overcrowded conditions, pushing the average age at which Europeans leave the parental home to 26.3 years. ExplainSpeaking | France protests, and the economic mess at the heart of itAt 26.4% for individuals aged 15-29, Greece’s youth housing-cost overburden rate is one of the more severe. Historically, economic growth meant making “successive cohorts richer,” Bollard explains. “But there are areas where they clearly do not feel better off. Homes are increasingly being used as financial assets, driving prices up and making the market harder to enter. Younger people are finding it harder and harder to buy a home.”Story continues below this adThis is not, however, the only lever. In Italy and Greece, the property crisis is compounded by reduced public education funding. The OECD’s Education at a Glance 2025 report provides evidence for this argument. Greece invested just 3.9% of GDP in education, compared with the OECD average of 4.7%, while education’s share of public budgets fell from 6.2% in 2015 to 5.9% in 2022. Italy, meanwhile, saw education’s share of public budgets decline from 7.1% to 6.7% over the same period. Indeed, it is clear “this generation is facing an inordinate amount of uncertainty”, said Jean-Pierre Landau, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po and former Second Deputy Governor of the Banque de France.“I can feel that with my students and when we recruit for admissions,” he told The Indian Express. “When you have UN leaders or global figures saying the planet is burning or there are expected job losses, it creates an unnecessary amount of anxiety and fear.”How does this connect to Western Europe?Story continues below this adIn the wealthier economies of France, Belgium and Germany — among others — the fracture lies in the failure of the State to execute on its promises. In mid-September, students in the Paris suburb of Créteil began agitations against the teacher staffing shortages and disproportionate allocation of the education budget to pensions. A report released by the French Ministry of Economy revealed that 32% — almost €28.5 billion — of the education budget funded pensions for retirees. The OECD’s Education at a Glance 2025 report also found that 39% of French secondary-school teachers were aged 50 or older in 2023, highlighting the challenge of renewing the teaching workforce. For students, these pressures mean unfilled teaching positions, aging school buildings, and overcrowded classrooms. Also Read | As Europe sees protest wave, understanding the economics of social unrestThat local dispute over staffing in Créteil subsequently spread to schools elsewhere in France, with students demanding better-funded institutions and more equitable access to education. By September 29, protests had affected 180 schools, according to the French Interior Ministry. The underlying grievance, therefore, is not simply a lack of money. It is the perceived disconnect between the taxes citizens pay, the public services they are promised, and the services they actually receive.Story continues below this adIn Southern and Eastern Europe, protests have reflected concerns over corruption, opportunities and declining trust in institutions. In richer European economies, the discontent is more visibly tied to public-service delivery, the cost of living, and competition over how public resources are allocated. Upcoming European election cycleOn November 29, Spain is set to hold snap elections. In 2027, France, Italy, Poland, Greece, Slovakia and Estonia among others shall have their general elections. The ousting of Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić and the preemptive snap elections called by Spain’s Pedro Sánchez highlight how incumbents are being questioned for systemic stagnation. When traditional parties fail to address the core grievances of the youth — ranging from unaffordable housing to decaying public infrastructure — voters are increasingly willing to voice their frustrations.Historically, however, disillusionment with mainstream institutions has paved the way for populist and fringe movements, which often promise radical disruptions to the system. If the youth feel that traditional center-left and center-right coalitions are merely trading power while protecting the interests of older generations, their votes may migrate to the extremes.