London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Why a nationalists’ alliance in the EU parliament is necessary

Why a nationalists’ alliance in the EU parliament is necessary

The leaders of Europe’s nationalist parties met in the Polish capital, Warsaw, on Saturday in an attempt to thrash out an agreement for greater co-operation.
The overall objective of the gathering at the Regent Warsaw Hotel was to form a supergroup in the European Parliament, which would become the second-largest in the EU’s only elected institution. In attendance were the leader of Poland’s Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, France’s Marine Le Pen and a plethora of other European nationalist notables.

Before the meeting, hopes were high, with Orban writing on Facebook that the goal was to “change the politics of Brussels.” “We’ve been working for months to create a strong party family,” he said, and “hopefully, we can take a step towards this goal today or tomorrow”.

Although the meeting failed to create a supergroup in the European Parliament, it elicited a commitment for closer cooperation, including the holding of regular meetings and an agreement to vote as a cohesive bloc in the chamber.

A statement of intent was also released, which said the nationalists wanted to “put a stop to the disturbing idea of creating a Europe governed by a self-appointed elite”. They also announced that they would “reject the arbitrary application of [European] union law, [and the] bending or even violating [of] treaties. Only the sovereign institutions of the states have full democratic legitimacy.”

The agreement that there would be greater co-operation in the European Parliament is a major step towards the adoption of a unified approach, and it will prove a headache for the Eurocrats. However, it must be only a stepping stone to the final logical destination, which is a supergroup.

Now, I have some experience of the creation of such a group in the European Parliament. As the then-deputy leader of the UK Independence Party, which had 24 MEPs, I was involved in the negotiations for the formation of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group in 2014. However, I can tell you it was not an easy undertaking.

Once you get over the obvious language barrier and cultural differences, you then run into demands for position and rank. It’s like wading through treacle. There’s also a fine balance to be struck between national and European priorities, which is entirely understandable. And that’s why the plan for a new supergroup has fallen by the wayside.

One of the most prominent absentees from the Warsaw gathering was Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s Lega Nord (Northern League) party. Salvini is under pressure from another right-wing party, the Brothers of Italy, which would also want to be part of any pan-European supergroup. Salvini therefore said he was withdrawing, because “it’s necessary to wait for the time to be right, so that selfishness and fear at party and national level can be overcome”.

Often, national considerations trump European concerns, and this was something we, too, faced seven years ago. We were under pressure to form a group with Marine Le Pen’s Front National and Lega Nord, but rejected the opportunity on the basis of domestic considerations.

What was considered right-wing politics on the continent was dubbed far-right in the UK media, and, with a general election being held the following year, we knew we couldn’t afford to be tarred with the far-right brush. Thus, we rejected the opportunity to form and lead any group. Some of my colleagues thought we had made a mistake, but those of us who were entirely focused on domestic politics at the time were determined not to give any ammunition to our opponents.

However, 2014 is not 2021, and things have clearly moved on. Today, for a number of reasons, I would argue it makes more sense for these politicians to put aside their domestic concerns.

First, the EU is harassing and persecuting member states on an unequal basis. For example, last week, the European Commission dropped a case against Germany, whose Constitutional Court had challenged the supremacy of EU law. Yet, in the same week, the European Court of Justice’s Advocate General advised that Covid-19 recovery funds could be withheld from Poland and Hungary for also challenging the rule of EU law. While a supergroup in the European Parliament would not be able to entirely prevent such inequality, it would certainly act as an extra layer of protection.

Second, the new German government has made it clear that it intends to push for a fully fledged ‘European federation’. This, of course, would require a further dilution of national sovereignty, which is anathema to the nationalist parties. As the European Parliament is the most federalist of all the EU institutions, and as the German government is also intent on increasing the powers of MEPs, it makes perfect sense to form a supergroup to negate the dangers coming down the road.

Following Saturday’s meeting in Warsaw, Le Pen said the leaders would meet every two months “to continue to move forward on strengthening and creating that big European force”. With the next meeting, in Spain, scheduled for February, I guess it’s a case of ‘watch this space’.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×