Dubbed Patriots for Europe, the group brings together Orban’s right-wing populist Fidesz Celebration, Austria’s far-right Liberty Celebration of Austria (FPÖ) and the centrist party of former Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
Recently, there are seven political coalitions on the EU platform that constitute the political events of the 27 member states elected to the European Parliament. Teams are arranged through political association rather than nationality. Some incidents are not related to any party.
What did Orban say?
Speaking ahead of Hungary’s six-month run-up to the EU presidency, Orban told journalists in Vienna that Patriots for Europe’s goal was to become “the largest grouping of right-wing forces in Europe”.
He said, “A new era begins here, and the first, perhaps the decisive moment of this new era is the creation of a new European political bloc that will transform European politics.”
The Hungarian premier promised that the coalition would fight for “peace, security and development” rather than “war, migration and stagnation” against what he called the “Brussels elite”.
He said that “Starting immediately… all political forces who wish to join our political and positive reform efforts are most welcome.”
The loose coalition would need the support of four alternative EU state parties before it could be called a group in the EU Parliament.
The three men did not answer journalists’ questions, but the FPÖ said a news conference would soon be held in Brussels or Strasbourg with the various parties joining the coalition.
Orbán’s Fidesz party was until 2021 a member of the center-right EU Folk Party, the largest party in the EU Parliament. The Czech and Austrian parties have also left alternative coalitions to form Patriots for Europe.
‘Self-Determination First’ Manifesto
The manifesto of Patriots for Europe, signed by the three party leaders, criticized the plan for a “European Central State” and its formulation of “sovereignty over federalism, freedom over order, and peace over priority”.
The three leaders said another key priority for the alliance would be the fight against illegal immigration, which has long been a serious concern for them.
The EU has recorded 53,270 abnormal migrant arrivals in the first five months of 2024, according to data from Frontex, the bloc’s border agency. If arrivals continue their flow week, the total could be around 128,000, a 53% decline on the 275,049 abnormal arrivals the following month.
Why has the untouchable alliance been formed?
The EU Parliament elections in early June generally strengthened far-right events, although their demonstrations varied from country to nation.
Nationalist events took advantage of voters’ uneasiness over rising costs, immigration and the cost of fairway transition.
Until now, the parties have been spread across two groups in the EU legislature, but during the loose coalition, they hope to turn their seat advantage into greater influence over EU policy choices.
Orbán and some right-wing politicians, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, complained that, despite their large support, they had been ignored in negotiations to decide on supermajority management positions in Brussels after the June 6–9 vote. ,
In the closest talks between mainstream groups, EU leaders today are on course to appoint Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the EU Commission, the law-making executive branch.
He also elected former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa to replace Charles Michel as head of the EU Council, which oversees legislative coverage in the name of the EU’s 27 member states and the European Parliament.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was nominated to head international coverage of the EU, replacing Josep Borrell.
The untouched European Parliament must now vote to approve supermajority management positions before nominees can take up their roles.
Who else can bind?
The origins of the untouched coalition have given rise to speculation about which alternative populist developments may now be gaining momentum.
Some possibilities complement the far-right For Germany (AfD), which was recently expelled from the right-wing EU Identity and Freedom (ID) team.
Meloni’s right-wing populist Brothers of Italy celebration is a recent member of the EU Conservatives and Reformists Celebration.
mm/kb (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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