Orbán’s new right-wing group hits EU parliament threshold

4 months ago 27

Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán’s fledgling political movement attracted enough parties Saturday to achieve recognition from the European Parliament in a boost for his latest ploy to shift Brussels rightwards.

The nationalist leader announced June 30 his intention to form a new EU parliamentary group called “Patriots for Europe”, vowing “a new era” that “will change European politics”.

He made the announcement with the Austrian far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) and the centrist ANO of former Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš in Strasbourg, and since then, five more parties said they will join.

Those include the Party for Freedom (PVV) of Dutch anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders, Portugal’s far-right Chega party and Spain’s Vox.

With the Danish People’s Party and the Flemish nationalist pro-independence Vlaams Belang announcing they would join Saturday, Patriots for Europe fulfilled the EU parliament’s threshold for formal recognition — 23 lawmakers from seven countries.

Orbán said the parties would meet Monday in Brussels.

By that time, Orbán will know if France’s National Rally has chosen to join forces with him after the second round of the country’s legislative elections on Sunday.

If the National Rally decides to join Patriots for Europe, it would be the biggest political force within the group with 30 MEPs.

Italy’s League, led by Matteo Salvini, has also expressed an interest in the new movement but has not confirmed its participation.

Orbán — whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency — has long railed against the “Brussels elites”.

His Fidesz party has been non-aligned in the EU Parliament since it left the right-wing European People’s Party (EPP) in 2021 amid accusations of Hungary’s democratic backsliding.

With the formation of Patriots for Europe, Orbán is bidding to become the dominant hard-right force in the EU Parliament.

As well as campaigning for conservative family values, the group would push back against European support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and immigration.

Several of the groups joining Orbán’s movement were previously part of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, which includes members of France’s National Rally.

Babiš’s ANO party defected from Renew Europe, which includes liberals and centrists, among them French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party.

Vox is leaving the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) movement associated with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — Orbán’s main rival as the dominant player in right-wing EU politics.