Far-Right Parties from France and Hungary Lead New Political Force in EU Parliament

A new political bloc named Patriots for Europe has been formed in the European Parliament. This group includes far-right parties from 12 countries, such as France’s National Rally and Hungary’s ruling Fidesz. They aim to become a significant political force. The European Parliament shifted rightward after recent elections, with many voters moving away from business-friendly liberals and environmentalist Greens. However, mainstream centre-right and centre-left groups still hold the majority.

The Patriots for Europe bloc consists of 84 EU lawmakers and is led by Jordan Bardella, a protégé of Marine Le Pen. Kinga Gál from Hungary’s Fidesz party will serve as the first vice president. Right-wing parties from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain are also part of this new group. Forming a bloc provides these parties with more influence, funding, and opportunities for key parliamentary committee positions.

Key Figures and Parties

Italy’s far-right League party and the Party for Freedom led by Dutch anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders have joined the bloc. Spain’s far-right Vox party also signed up after leaving the nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) bloc of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Bardella stated that the Patriots "represent hope for the tens of millions of citizens in the European nations who value their identity, their sovereignty and their freedom." He promised that the group would work "to retake our institutions and reorient policies to serve our nations and peoples."

At a news conference, senior officials outlined their vision against centralising power in Brussels or enduring "the diktats of the European Commission," which is the EU's executive branch. Gál mentioned that voters want better protection of Europe’s borders from migrants and support European cooperation but oppose an EU that overreaches its competencies and penalises member states for their policies.

Challenges Ahead

The Patriots for Europe claim to be the third-largest political group in the parliament, although Meloni’s ECR also holds 84 seats in the 720-seat assembly. The conservative European People’s Party is the largest with 188 seats, followed by the Socialists and Democrats with 136 seats. A critical question is whether mainstream parties will block this new group from obtaining significant posts by refusing to endorse its candidates. This tactic was previously used against the National Rally when it was part of the far-right Identity and Democracy group.

In response to these potential challenges, Jean-Paul Garraud, an ally of Bardella, criticised such blocking tactics as "totally anti-democratic." He asserted that Patriots for Europe should receive a number of posts proportional to their voter representation. Meanwhile, the liberal Renew group posted on X that these "are patriots in name only. The far-right have rebranded. But their mission is the same, to destroy European values." Renew emphasised that "Europe’s future will be crafted by us from the political centre!"

The formation of this new bloc marks a significant shift in European politics. It remains to be seen how mainstream parties will respond to this development and whether they will allow Patriots for Europe to gain influential positions within the parliament.