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
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.
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