Right-wing ECR group becomes EU Parliament’s third-largest force

 

Right-wing ECR group becomes EU Parliament’s third-largest force

 

Meloni’s ECR edges out Macron’s Renew, as groups battle to grow.

 

ts new members include five from Romanian right-wing party AUR and Marion Maréchal, the niece of Marine Le Pen, who broke from French firebrand Éric Zemmour's Reconquest party with several other new MEPs. |

 

JUNE 19, 2024 8:28 PM CET

BY EDDY WAX

https://www.politico.eu/article/euroskeptic-ecr-group-edges-ahead-liberal-renew-eu-parliament-third-largest-force/

 

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament faction that contains Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s MEPs announced 11 new members, pushing the grouping ahead of the one dominated by French President Emmanuel Macron’s MEPs.

 

The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), primarily made up of Euroskeptic right-wing parties, now has 83 members in the 720-seat parliament, it said in a press release. Renew, which is part of the current ruling coalition with the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and Socialists, now stands at 80. However, Renew is in talks with the five MEPs of Volt and could announce new members as early as Thursday morning.

 

The ECR describes itself as a “constructive centre-right force” and contains politicians from the democratic right such as Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s Civic Democratic Party, to the far right of the spectrum of EU politics, such as the Vox party in Spain. Its new members include five from Romanian right-wing party AUR and Marion Maréchal, the niece of Marine Le Pen, who broke from French firebrand Éric Zemmour’s Reconquest party with several other new MEPs.

 

Those on the left of the political spectrum will be watching the ECR’s increase in size with apprehension. For months, socialists, Greens and liberals have been warning the EPP not to formally engage with the ECR when it comes to finding a coalition in the new Parliament. But the size of their group will make them an enticing prospect for the EPP on key votes.

 

The ECR was last the third-biggest group in Parliament after the 2014 EU election when the British Conservatives swelled its ranks.

 

The Parliament’s seven political groups are in a state of flux after the June election, with all of them vying to swell their ranks and thus increase their influence by attracting new members.

 

Sandro Gozi, a leading MEP in Renew, downplayed the prospect that the ECR eclipsing Renew could fundamentally change the power balance in the EU.

 

“I think that the will of creating a new pro-European majority among European People’s Party, Social Democrats and Renew, is very clear,” he said.

 

A Renew spokesperson declined to comment.

 

Being pushed into fourth place is an awkward milestone for Renew which is battling to maintain its relevance in Brussels as Macron called a snap election after disastrous EU election results, plunging his country into political chaos.

 

Additionally, outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party, which is in Renew, is entering a coalition government with Geert Wilders’ far-right party and two others.

 

Renew is currently negotiating an EU top jobs package with its stronger rivals, the center-right EPP and Socialists.

 

Hanne Cokelaere contributed reporting.