After officially launching in Brussels on Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's 'Patriots for Europe' is officially the third greatest force in the European Parliament, dethroning the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).
With 84 members and 12 member states represented, the group is now officially established in the Parliament and will be led by the French National Rally's (RN) Jordan Bardella, who was elected on Monday while absent.
"Patriots for Europe represents hope for the tens of millions of citizens in European nations who value their identity, sovereignty, and freedom," said Bardella in a statement, according to the Belga News Agency.
Fidesz MEP Kinga Gál, Lega's Roberto Vannacci, and Vox's Hermann Tertsch are among the vice-presidents.
The formation of 'Patriots for Europe' was first announced last week in a press conference in Vienna. The group was founded by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, former Czech PM (a liberal who has turned to the far-right) Andrej Babis, and Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl.
The Patriots' founders stated that the group would focus on issues such as the war in Ukraine, defending national sovereignty, fighting against the Green Deal, and irregular immigration.
At the time, the group still needed at least four other Member States to be represented to meet the criteria of the European Parliament. But it was quick to garner support from fellow Member States, including multiple that were part of the now-dismantled Identity and Democracy group (ID).
Nonetheless, the establishment of group has not been welcomed by all. Taking it to his X, current Prime Minister of Czechia, Petr Fiala, claims that the group "serves Russia's interests" and is a threat to "the security and freedom of Europe."
Nazývejme věci pravými jmény. Patrioti pro Evropu slouží zájmům Ruska. Ať už vědomě, či nevědomě. A tím ohrožují bezpečnost a svobodu Evropy.
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) July 8, 2024
Translation: Let's call a spade a spade. Patriots for Europe serves Russia's interests. Consciously or unconsciously. And in doing so, they threaten the security and freedom of Europe.
Patriots for Europe represent far-right parties from a total of 12 Member States, including Portugal's Chega, Spain's Vox, the Danish Peoples Party, the Dutch Party for Freedom, and the Belgium's Vlaams Belang. The most recent additions to the party were the French RN and the Italian Lega.
The newly-formed group surpassed the conservative ECR and the liberals Renew, which count with 78 and 76 MEPs, respectively. It is now the third largest group, after the conservative European People's Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
To be established in the Parliament, political groups need at least 23 members and to represent at least a quarter of the Member States.
