Herbert Kickl, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, of the liberal-populist ANO formation and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have announced the creation of a political alliance ready “to involve other European parties and then together give Europe a future again”. Kickl said this at a press conference that the three are holding in Vienna.
It is “a new political alliance made up of patriotic forces who all play a leading role in their countries”, said the Austrian sovereignist leader, underlining that the formation of the group precedes the imminent constitution session of the European Parliament.
To form a new European political group in the Parliament, at least 23 MEPs from at least seven countries are needed. Kickl’s FPÖ has six seats, Babiš’s ANA has seven, and Fidesz has 10. The deadline to form the groups is July 4, ahead of the first plenary session of the European Parliament on July 16.
“Today we present this group of 3 parties and their representatives, who will stabilize this new patriotic movement” in Europe and initiate “this necessary political turnaround,” Kickl said. “All political forces that want to and want to join our reform efforts” will be “welcomed warmly”: “It is already becoming clear in the background that there will be more of them than some of you probably suspect at this time.”
“This new patriotic alliance represents a path of reason,” he added. It means that “national competences are anchored in the homeland again,” against “the postulate of subsidiarity, the escalation of illegal immigration and also calling for a peaceful solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine,” the Austrian politician said. The alliance is “a strong core” and “I am convinced that many more will join us in the coming days.” “We are not interested in destroying Europe” but “see our task in reviving the pluralistic character of our continent.” “We will not stand idly by while a European superstate develops in which the parliaments of the member states, which are legitimized by their citizens, are then cut down or degraded to a kind of folklore department in which the sovereignty and self-determination of individual states are nothing but empty shells.”
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