'Patriots for Europe': the reason for a new right-wing group in the European Parliament

@ElentirENG ES 7·02·2024 · 18:39 0

Last Sunday, a manifesto entitled "Patriots for Europe" was presented in Vienna, in line with the approaches of the right.

The most pro-Russian political parties in each member country of the European Union
Viktor Orbán helps Putin and denies Ukraine the national sovereignty he asks for Hungary

A new right-wing group that joins the ECR and ID

The manifesto seems clearly oriented towards the creation of a new parliamentary group in the European Parliament, something curious, taking into account that there are already two groups on the right: the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists ) and ID (Identity and Democracy). What led the promoters of that manifesto to promote a new group, when there were voices in favor of creating a megagroup based on the ECR and ID?

To answer that question, it is good to first know the reason why two different right-wing groups already existed. The ECR brings together parties critical of Russia and supporters of NATO, such as the Poles of Law and Justice, Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party and the Spanish party Vox), while ID has been bringing together pro-Russian parties (such as the French party National Rally of Marine Le Pen, Alternative for Germany - recently expelled from the group -, the Italian League of Matteo Salvini and the Czech party Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD).

Le Pen's party has announced that it will not suspend military aid to Ukraine

However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused some changes in those positions, due to how unpopular pro-Russian positions have become. We have seen a clear example in the case of France, where Le Pen's party has been attenuating its former pro-Russian positions. Just a few days ago, Jordan Bardella, the National Rally candidate for the legislative elections, made it clear that his party will not stop military aid to Ukraine if it comes to govern.

The three promoters of Patriotas por Europa come from different groups

Let's now know who the promoters of Patriots for Europe are. Three parties participated in the presentation of their manifesto in Vienna: the Fidesz of Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary (who participated in the event), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ ), which was represented by its president Herbert Kickl, and the Czech party Alliance of Disgruntled Citizens (ANO), which was represented by its president, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

Curiously, none of these three parties have been part of the same European parliamentary group until now. Fidesz was part of the European People's Party until it left it in 2021, when its expulsion was about to be finalized, and until now its MEPs have remained unaffiliated, without joining any group. Until now, the FPÖ belonged to the Identity and Democracy group. The ANO was part of Renew Europe, which brings together center-left parties. Despite this different origin, the manifesto they have signed is fully conservative (can be read in The European Conservative).

The common denominator of the three: their pro-Russian positions

Until now, the only common denominator that these three parties seemed to have is their positions in relation to Russia. Let's do a review. Orbán's pro-Russian positions are already known: I talked about it here. In fact, these positions provoked -of-poland-and-hungary/">a rift between Orbán and his former Polish allies in Law and Justice.

The FPÖ is the most pro-Russian party in Austria. In fact, its contacts with Russia were a source of controversy in the recent European election campaign. As for the ANO, last year Andrej Babiš said he would refuse to send Czech troops if Russia invaded Poland or the Baltic republics, a statement made in a presidential election debate in the Czech Republic and which would be a breach of commitments as a member of NATO.

The manifesto's mention of peace and what it means

It should be noted that in the Patriots for Europe manifesto there is no reference to Russia. The text states that its promoters defend a Europe "committed to peace and dialogue, while ready to defend itself against any threat". At the end of the manifesto we read: "To prioritize sovereignty over federalism, freedom over diktats, and peace." It is not difficult to imagine what these two mentions of peace refer to, because the same Orbán clarified it during the presentation: "The European people want peace, order, and prosperity, but from the Brussels elite they get war, migration, and stagnation."

The words of the Hungarian prime minister coincide with the positions of the Kremlin and its propagandists, who accus those who support Ukraine of wanting a war that, in reality, Russia has provoked with its invasion of a neighboring country. Thus, it is not difficult to imagine what one of the reasons for being of the new group will be: to defend the pro-Russian narrative in the European Parliament. The group Patriots for Europe will have to explain what idea it has of a Europe "ready to defend itself against any threat" if not against Russian imperialism, which is the greatest threat to peace that the West has faced since the Cold War, that group decides to align itself with those who threaten us.

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Photo: @PM_ViktorOrban. From left to right: Andrej Babiš (from the Czech party ANO), Herbert Kickl (from the Austrian party FPÖ) and Viktor Orbán (from the Hungarian party Fidesz) at the presentation of the Patriots for Europe manifesto last Sunday in Vierna.