The politician highlighted that the party alliance initiated by Hungarian PM aims to challenge the current power structure.Continue reading
With 84 MEPs from 12 European Member States, Patriots for Europe (PfE) is the third largest group in the European Parliament. As they indicated at their inaugural meeting yesterday, their aim is to bring about change in EU policies.
84 MEPs from 14 parties in 12 Member States have joined the Patriots for Europe group, making it the third largest political group in the European Parliament (EP). The largest group in the EP is the European People’s Party, currently with 188 MEPs, and the second largest is the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats with 136 MEPs. Jordan Bardella (National Rally) was elected president of the group and Kinga Gál of Fidesz was elected first vice-president. The other vice-presidents are Roberto Vannacci (Lega), Klára Dostálová (ANO), Sebastien Stöteler (PVV) and Anders Vistisen (Danish People’s Party).
Photo via Facebook/Jordan Bardella
Jean-Paul Garraud, speaking on behalf of Jordan Bardella, called the formation a historic event, stressing that the group is opposed to any move that would lead to the European Union becoming a kind of superstate above the member states. He said that they had worked hard to form the group, including the French National Rally (RN) led by Jean Marine le Pen, which had given 30 MEPs to the new group.
We want a European Union that sticks to the foundations that its founders laid. We are ready to cooperate, but we respect the identity and sovereignty of each member state,”
he emphasized. The French politician added that they would oppose any “hegemonic tendencies” on the part of the European Commission and the European Parliament and fight against illegal migration.
Jordan Bardella élu aujourd’hui président du groupe des Patriotes pour l’Europe au Parlement européen, groupe que nous venons de créer avec les souverainistes de 11 autres nationalités ! Fort de 84 députés, notre groupe devient la troisième force du Parlement. pic.twitter.com/b36Vc6cFmG
— Jean-Paul GARRAUD (@JPGarraud) July 8, 2024
Kinga Gál, who was elected as the first vice-president of the newly-formed EP group, noted at a press conference that
Patriots for Europe has become the largest patriotic party group ever to have existed in the EU Parliament.
She pointed out that the European Parliament elections had clearly shown that the overwhelming majority of voters wanted to defend Europe’s borders and valued freedom and peace. They support European cooperation, but they do not want a European Union that goes beyond its powers and punishes member states for implementing their own policies. “We represent millions of Europeans who want change in Europe. We will be their voice for the next five years,” she stated.
The members of Patriots for Europe love their country and their tradition, Kinga Gál underlined. She added that the members will work to preserve Europe’s Christian values. They want to protect Europe’s borders to the utmost, stop illegal migration and work for a strong, competitive Europe.
The MEP also expressed the hope that, in time, more parties and MEPs would join the PfE group. The door is open to all patriots who share the values of the right and aim to bring change to Europe, she concluded.
Harald Vilimsky of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) highlighted that the group’s membership showed that “patriotism is a driving force in Europe”. Vilimsky spoke out against illegal migration, saying that Europe cannot accept more illegal migrants and that many people are abusing the EU’s “too lenient” asylum system. He also noted that they wanted peace to be restored at the EU’s borders and
thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his talks on the issue.
“We are 84 members so far, but this is only the first step,” he said, underlining that the group will have more members. “And when that happens, the whole of Europe will be different. Finally, the forces that unite will come together and we can be proud of that,” the MEP stressed.
Buon lavoro al generale Roberto Vannacci, eletto vicepresidente del gruppo dei Patrioti per l’Europa, per rappresentare la Lega e gli italiani.
Avanti tutta!#PatriotsforEurope pic.twitter.com/SETNDzehsa— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) July 8, 2024
The creation of the Patriots for Europe party group was hailed as a very significant event by Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing Italian Lega party. He called it a very important day “for Italy and for the Lega with the birth of the third largest group in the European Parliament”. It was formed to oppose any “alliance with socialists, pro-Islam, pro-China, extremists of the green transition, those who want electric vehicles at all costs,” he emphasized.
The aim of Patriots for Europe is to “defend work, family, the future of young people and the security of Italians and Europeans”,
Salvini pointed out. “The time has finally come to change this Europe, as millions of (European) citizens have asked for with their votes,” he added.
The Lega made official on Monday that it had joined the Patriots for Europe. The party was until now part of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group.
The third largest political group in the European Parliament is made up of the following parties:
When Patriots for Europe was formed, several parties were mentioned as potential members. These included Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS), which announced shortly after the rumors broke that the party would remain in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. Likewise, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) did not join the PfE. Our editorial team contacted the RMDSZ to ask whether they plan to join the newly formed faction or stay in the EPP, whose ideology is in stark contrast to their party’s national policy demands, yet did not as yet receive a reply.
Via MTI; Featured image via MTI/Bodnár Boglárka