The European political landscape continues to reconfigure itself with the formation of a new far-right parliamentary group. On Wednesday, the German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has announced the creation of the “Europe of Sovereign Nations” group, composed of 25 MEPs from eight different states. This announcement comes after the European elections last June, during which the group managed to gather 25 elected representatives from eight (deemed unsavoury) parties of member states, barely more than the threshold required to form a parliamentary group.
A European group under German leadership
“Europe of Sovereign Nations” is dominated by the AfD, which contributes 14 elected members. The group also includes representatives from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Spain and France.
The group is co-led by AfD member René Aust and Stanislaw Tyszka, a representative of the Polish far right. Confederation. The other members include three MEPs from the Bulgarian Wasraschdane party and three from the Polish Konfederacja party. The rest of the group is composed of a Czech MP from the SPD, a French MP from Reconquête, a Slovak from Republika, a far-right Lithuanian and a Hungarian MP with no political affiliation. Among them is Sarah Knafo, a French MP from Reconquête!, the party of Éric Zemmour.
The AfD had been excluded from the now-dissolved far-right European group ID (Identity and Democracy) following scandals and accusations of closeness to China and Russia. It was this exclusion that reportedly prompted the AfD to form the new group “Europe of Sovereign Nations”, thus strengthening its political position in the European Parliament.
Not the only far-right group in the European Parliament
At the same time, other European far-right parties have also reconfigured their alliances. Earlier this week, the “Patriots for Europe” group was created, becoming the third largest force in the chamber with 84 elected representatives from 12 countries. This group, chaired by Jordan Bardella of the French National Rally (RN), includes parties such as the Lega Italian, the Fidesz by Viktor Orbán, Vox in Spain, the PVV in the Netherlands and the Flemish Beauty in Belgium.