A new political alliance, Patriots for Europe, is poised to become the third-largest faction in the European Parliament. Announced on June 30, the group brought together Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán‘s Fidesz, Austrian populist leader Herbert Kickl’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), and former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO).
Spain’s VOX party, which was part of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) until July 5, has also decided to join Patriots for Europe. Geert Wilders’s Freedom Party (PVV), now the main force in a new Dutch coalition government, is also joining.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) is in negotiations to merge the Identity and Democracy (ID) group with Patriots for Europe. If all ID members join, the group would become larger than the ECR, comprised of 78 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and the liberal Renew Europe group, comprised of 76 MEPs.
Negotiations concerning leadership positions and high-level jobs are ongoing. An MEP familiar with the discussions revealed that a tentative agreement had been reached last Sunday for the ID group to dissolve.
FRENCH ELECTIONS KEY.
Further developments are anticipated on July 8 as European parliamentary leaders prepare to meet to finalize leadership roles. Orbán indicated that Marine Le Pen’s participation in the new grouping would be decided after the French election, which concludes on July 7.
Le Pen’s National Rally won the first round of French elections, putting them on course to possibly win a majority of the seats in the French parliament. However, the far left coalition that placed second and the globalist bloc supporting President Emmanuel Macron that placed third are attempting to work together to deny National Rally a majority.
Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.
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