Wagenknecht’s new EU Parliament group in question as Italy’s M5S pick The Left

4 months ago 18

Plans for a new left-wing group in the European Parliament floated by Germany’s Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) could be in peril, as Italy’s Five Star Movement (M5S) applied to join the existing Left group despite being rumoured to be in talks with BSW.

The left-wing Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), founded only this spring by renegades from Die Linke, had told Euractiv ahead of June’s European election that it had enough support from other parties in the European Parliament to form a new parliamentary group, but it has so far not been created.

As the left-leaning Five Star Movement had been without group affiliation for five years, there were rumours that its eight members of the European Parliament (MEPs) could join BSW.

This could have given a push to BSW to create a new group, whose plans now hang in the balance, as there are fewer eligible like-minded larger delegations they can draw on to create their group.

Any group in the European Parliament must include at least 23 MEPs from seven different countries. Creating a group therefore requires extensive negotiations between parties.

While both BSW and M5S previously declined to confirm they were in talks, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Wednesday (3 July) that negotiations had indeed taken place.

However, M5S has now applied to join The Left, the traditional leftist alliance in the European Parliament led by Germany’s Die Linke and France’s La France Insoumise, officials confirmed to Euractiv.

Manon Aubry, who was re-confirmed as chair of The Left, told journalists on Wednesday the group is “looking carefully at this request. We are going to have a meeting with them tomorrow, based on which we are going to decide”.

The decision was moved to Thursday (4 July) due to some lingering doubts among existing members of The Left about M5S, who had previously been in a coalition with the far-right Lega party in Italy, ANSA reported, referring to group sources.

M5S and BSW declined to comment on the matter. Despite the Italians joining the Left, a source from BSW told Euractiv there was still time until Monday 8 July to form new groups. The formal deadline for the group’s composition is the plenary, starting 15 July.

Uncertain prospects for new left group

It is unclear if BSW could also join The Left, due to its strained relations with Die Linke, which sits with the Left. Wagenknecht’s party has so far not applied to join the group, one official confirmed.

BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht has recently struck a more sceptical tone about its chances to form a new group.

“It is not yet clear if we will make it. I would say it is 50/50,” she told Deutschlandfunk on Sunday (30 June).

“I really hope so, because there are of course better working conditions if one is part of a group,” she added.

Meanwhile, M5S would end a five-year hiatus if accepted by The Left. The party had been a part of the liberal Renew Europe group until 2019 and then failed to join a new outfit, remaining without affiliation the whole last term.

MS5 was in talks with the Greens in the months before to the EU election but negotiations stalled, especially over M5S’ opposition to sending weapons to Ukraine.

*Max Giera contributed to reporting

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Max Griera]