A new political group, Patriots for Europe, was formed in the European Parliament on Monday, absorbing its predecessor Identity and Democracy (ID) and bringing together enough right-wing and far-right lawmakers to become the third largest group, Euractiv reports.
The intention to create a group of “patriotic and sovereign parties” seeking to increase the role of national governments and reduce the role of Brussels was announced on June 30 by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Austria’s far-right FPÖ and ANO, the former liberal party of former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
Negotiations to create the new group took about a week and were finalised on Monday, which also marked the end of the ID group.
The new group, made up of 13 national parties, aims to return more sovereignty to EU countries and push for tougher measures against illegal migration. Harald Vilimsky (Austria’s FPÖ) said during the press conference:
We want to reshape the European Union, we want to ensure that asylum is not abused and we want peace on our doorstep.
In a manifesto signed by the three founding parties, they also opposed the EU’s “green course,” and on the issue of the Ukrainian conflict, they declared a strong commitment to peace and dialogue.
Jean-Paul Garraud, who represented the French delegation at the inaugural press conference, said the group would work “against the hegemony of the European Commission and the majority of the European Parliament, which has now been shaken”, hinting that the self-proclaimed group had become the third largest with 84 MEPs. Vilimsky also added:
These 84 members are only the first layer, there will be more, many want to become a counterweight to the EU’s madness.
The fact that Marine Le Pen’s National Union joined Orbán in this new group sealed the fate of her own group, ID. Her protégé and failed candidate for French prime minister, Jordan Bardella, was elected president of the Patriot group.
