Far-right leaders should talk about the possible reconfiguration of the right in the European Parliament. Among those present Salvini, Le Pen and Wilders
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The leaders of Europe’s most radical right-wing parties met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss how to unite the fractured EU rightafter it gained important national positions in the European elections.
France’s Marine Le Pen, whose Rassemblement National (RN) party is now the largest delegation in the European Parliament after winning 30 seats in last week’s vote, has met the leader of the far-right Italian party Lega before a meeting of leaders belonging to the Identity and Democracy (ID) group.
Far-right parties talk about uniting the European “centre-right”.
Also expected to participate in the talks are Geert Wilders, whose far-right Freedom Party (PVV) recently struck a coalition deal for the Netherlands government; Tom Van Grieken, leader of the Belgian Vlaams Belang; André Ventura, leader of the Portuguese Enough (Chega), and the far-right Czech, Austrian and Danish parties.
In a statement, the League said Salvini and Le Pen discussed uniting the “centre-right” European, despite their parties being considered among the most radical in Europe.
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, André Ventura, whose Enough (“Chega”) party exploded onto the Portuguese political scene in March’s flash legislative elections, said that Id, while integrated and aligned as a group, is actively looking to expand.
“ID is in broader talks to form a large right-wing bloc to fight corruption, illegal immigration and control our borders,” Ventura said. “If these conversations lead to a positive outcome, we will be ready to participate in them. If not, we would be very happy to be part of the (Id) group,” she added.
The far-right parties in the European Parliament are currently divided into two camps: the ID and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), which host exponents of the caliber of Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia (FdI) and Spain’s Vox. Although they did not emerge as strengthened as expected from last week’s European elections, if they were to merge they could become the third or even second political force in the European Parliament.
Le Pen attempts to unite the ID and Meloni’s ECR
Speaking to Euronews on Tuesday, Tom Vandendriessche, MEP for the Belgian Vlaams Belang party, said: “We are discussing it with all our friends and partners.” “We as Vlaams Belang are open to any discussion on the enlargement of the group,” he added.
A few days before the European vote, Marine Le Pen told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that wanting to obtain the support of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonito merge his Id group with the Ecr of Meloni in a far-right supergroup.
The move is considered risky for Meloni, who has close relations with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and it may lose the opportunity to consolidate its influence on the EU scene if it opens up to more radical forces.
Also the decision of French President Emmanuel Macron to call lightning legislative elections in France radically changed the stakes. Marine Le Pen sees an opportunity to take control of the National Assembly and install her protégé Jordan Bardella, 28, as French prime minister.
This could give Le Pen’s RN an even greater pull factor in its attempts to form a far-right supergroup. Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party is also politically homeless to the European Parliament and could potentially strengthen this supergroup with eleven seats.
Deep rifts over Ukraine and pro-Russia sentiments
But uniting these radical forces is more complex than it seems. One question in particular, the conflict in Ukraine has highlighted a deep rift that crosses the European right. Some parties in the ID group, in particular the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), are considered pro-Russian and oppose the EU’s military and financial support for Kiev.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) was also expelled from the group last month following a series of scandals, including the accusation that some members were paid by a Russian influence operation to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda in Europe. ID group parties have recently made calculated attempts to soften their stance on key divisive issues such as support for Ukraine and anti-European sentiment.
In an interview with Euronews last month, the head of the ID’s European campaign, Anders Vistisen, has harshly criticized the European Union for what he called his failure to “step up” to provide Kiev with the aid and military equipment it needs to resist the Russian invasion.
Leaders such as Le Pen and Wilders have also backtracked from previous suggestions that they would leave the EU if they came to power in their country. In view of the lightning legislative elections in France, Le Pen’s party has even distanced itself from radical right counterparts such as Reconquête of Éric Zemmour, trying to ensure the loyalty of his centre-right partners.
Centrist and left-wing forces have warned Europe’s traditional centre-right forces against being courted by radical partners, warning that this could have devastating consequences for Ukraine and for the geopolitical stability of Europe itself.
