In Croatia, EPP downplays far-right alliance fears ahead of EU elections

Croatia’s centre-right coalition agreement with the far-right has raised concerns from the Socialist and Greens, something the country’s EU Commissioner Dubravka Šuica has downplayed, staying close to the line of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The Croatian centre-right HDZ party, a European People’s Party (EPP) member, struck a deal with the far-right nationalist Homeland Movement (Domovinski Pokret/DP) last week following the general election.

Šuica, hailing from the HDZ party, argued that Homeland Movement, which could seek to join the hard-line conservative ECR or the far-right European Identity and Democracy  group, is not on the extreme end of the spectrum.

“They are not a far-right party, they are a very moderate right party…” she told Euractiv.

“I don’t know what will happen [after the elections], but I think we will create the majority with the parties that are in favour of the rule of law, in favour of Ukraine, and those who are in favour of progress,” she added.

Šuica’s answer echoes the EPP’s official position regarding their ‘red lines’ for post-election cooperation: supporting Ukraine, being pro-EU, and upholding the rule of law. 

Current Commission President and candidate for a second mandate Ursula von der Leyen also repeated the party line in Split on Friday (10 May) when asked about Croatia’s new government deal, arguing that “the centre must hold.” 

Von der Leyen’s strategy seems to be to seek support from parts of ECR in a bid to be reelected, while also reaching out to Socialists and Greens.

Over the past month, she and her party have repeatedly left the door open to traditionally far-right parties, now considered mainstream conservative and nationalist, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia. Coalitions between EPP member parties and far-right forces have been sealed in Finland and Italy, among others. 

Von der Leyen’s political family in the European Parliament – the EPP group – recently refused to commit not to allying with ECR in a declaration from the Socialists, Liberals, Greens, and Left.

Backlash from opposition

Zagreb’s government deal has added to the worries of Socialists and Greens that the EPP may seek far-right support in the European Parliament to reappoint von der Leyen as Commission President.

HDZ’s coalition deal was criticised by the European Socialists and Greens, who saw it as a sign of the direction the EPP intends to take after June’s EU elections.

“Prime Minister Plenković’s decision to join forces with the Homeland Movement to form Croatia’s next government is a further signal that the EPP is keeping the door open to the far-right,” the Party of European Socialists Giacomo Fillibeck said before the EPP’s Split rally. 

The European Socialist and Green parties signed a declaration vowing not to cooperate nor form a coalition with far-right forces in the European Parliament “now and in the future” on 11 May.

After the general elections, Homeland Movement said it would not join any government that included the Serb minority party SDSS, a former ally of HDZ, or the leftist green Mozemo party. HDZ accepted those conditions, drawing criticism from the opposition.

The party, which is likely to enter the European Parliament with one seat, supports Ukraine despite having rejected allowing the training of Ukraine’s military forces in Croatia. While favouring Croatia’s membership in the EU, they vouch to limit Brussels’ powers and strengthen member states’ sovereignty.

Defending the deal

Next to von der Leyen, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković vowed that as long as he and the EPP are in the lead, “inclusiveness”, pro-EU sensitivity and support for Ukraine are guaranteed, defending his decision to strike a deal with Homeland Movement. 

“We are following the [right-wing political] trends across Europe, and we will find enough reasonable, sensible partners who will help us to form a majority that will be able to give support to Ursula after the European elections within the newly formed European Parliament,” he said when asked about post-EU election alliances and the right-wing surge across Europe. 

Šuica said the next Commission should have three core priorities: Prosperity and competitiveness, security and defence, and “defending our democracy”. She is currently the vice president of democracy and demography.

Being a close ally of von der Leyen, who praised her work in the last five years when in Split, she said she “would like to continue” as Croatia’s EU commissioner after the EU elections.

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Alice Taylor]

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