Brussels 08.07.2024 Marine Le Pen’s conservative National Rally (RN) joins a growing new alliance in the European Parliament led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary’s government spokesperson said on Monday, July 8. The new group enlists 84 MEPs from 12 EU states, and the door remains open. (Image below:  announcement of a new group of Patriots in the Europarl).

The new group led by Orban’s Fidesz, dubbed Patriots for Europe, is due to make an official party announcement in Brussels on Monday afternoon, with Italy’s League also saying it would join.
Patriots will form a new group in the European Parliament as the third largest bloc in a challenge to the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which supports Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission President. (Image below:  press awaiting Patriots outside the meeting room, Europarl).

Last Friday, Dutch conservative leader Geert Wilders announced that he would join the European parliamentary group “Patriots for Europe”, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he intended to create. Furthermore the parties of similar conservative ideology confirm they are ready to join this new parliamentary formation. The enthusiasm of the newcomers indicates that the trend is here to stay. (Video below: MEP Thierry Mariani)

A number of conservative groups have already announced that they would join the congregation initiated by Viktor Orban, among them there was already the Austrian far-right party FPÖ, the ANO, founded by former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the Portuguese party Chega or “Vox” of Spain, Vlaams Belang.  (Video below: MEP Jean-Paul Garraud).

The interest to unite can be also explained by financial matters, as EP resources are allocated proportionally in relevance with the group size. The Hungarian leader’s Fidesz has 11 deputies with its allies from the Christian Democratic Party KDNP; the Czech ANO of seven, the FPÖ of six members. The Dutch PVV won six seats, compared to 2 for the Portuguese party. The National Rally and the Italian League could also join the movement.

The Members of the European Parliament sit in political groups – they are not organised by nationality, but by political affiliation. There are currently 7 political groups in the European Parliament.

23 Members are needed to form a political group, and at least one-quarter of the Member States must be represented within the group. Members may not belong to more than one political group. https://patriotsforeurope.org/

Some Members do not belong to any political group and are known as non-attached Members.