French-speaking centrists Les Engagés have quit the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament over political differences and joined liberal group Renew Europe instead.
After indicating that the they did not feel at home at the EPP just ahead of the 2024 elections, the party has now confirmed it will now join the European Democratic Party (EDP), which sits with Renew Europe, as they feel it is the political group that "best represents their vision for Europe."
Confirmed following a 38 to 16 vote at a political assembly, the move was formalised on Thursday at a European Parliament press conference.
Founded in 2004, the European Democrats, have advocated for mutual aid, solidarity and common interests in the EU as the vector to drive the EU's political project. It calls for a more inclusive Europe with a greater democratic participation.
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, Les Engagés indicated that after two years of participatory democracy, the party had reinvented itself and had "the courage to change". The EDP represents the "humanist and most progressive wing" in the European Parliament, the party said.
"This is more in line with the vision of Les Engagés than the increasingly conservative and right-wing tendency of the EPP," explains Les Engagés leader Maxime Prévot. "With the European Democratic Party, we want to create momentum, a movement and build bridges between all those who want to build a stronger, fairer, more sustainable, more humane and more democratic Europe," adds Yvan Verougstraete, a newly-elected Les Engagés MEP.
The centrist party had expressed its growing disagreements with the EPP ahead of the elections, breaking with the party over issues such as migration and climate.
Benoît Lutgen, the re-elected MEP, abstained on the vote for the EPP’s manifesto during the electoral congress in Bucharest in March this year. He cited the main reason as being the EPP programme's "flagship" projects – the Rwandan model for migration as conceived by the UK Conservative Party (which is already off the table due to the upcoming UK elections).
Les Engagés were one of the big winners of the 2024 elections. They gained 9 seats at the federal level (to 14 in total) and doubled their MEP count to 2, they are in a coalition with MR in Wallonia, and look set to join the government at the federal and Brussels level too.
MR’s newly-elected MEP and former Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès, welcomed the news on social media.
"I welcome the arrival of Les Engagés in our group Renew Europe," Wilmès stated. "They are choosing a positive and constructive project for Europe. A lucid project on the reforms to be carried out to enable us to meet the challenges of the moment together."
However, during Thursday's press conference Les Engages were keen to distance themselves from being seen as too close to MR.
"Let it be clear, we have no desire to move closer to MR," Prévot stressed. "There would be no point in joining them, given that we are often critical at the national level of their conservative tendencies, while we are distancing ourselves from the chiefly conservative directions in the EPP."
Their sister party the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) will remain with the EPP.
Musical chairs
Following the European elections in June, European Parliament political group reshuffles appear to be in full swing. While the EPP has now lost two MEPs, there have been reports of a possible move for the Flemish nationalists N-VA MEPs.
Bart De Wever's party has sat with the European Conservative and Reformers (ECR), predominantly for its traditional Eurosceptic positions. Yet like Les Engagés, N-VA, also said it "did not feel at home" in the ECR anymore.
With the party having recently softened its rhetoric against the EU, this could open a possible path for the EPP to gain 3 more seats.
Renew is currently negotiating with the EPP and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group to support a probable second von der Leyen Commission. The liberal group, currently threatened with losing third place (in terms of seats) to the Eurosceptic and far-right ECR group, will welcome several new members soon. "You're leading the way for others to join in the next few days," Renew leader Valérie Hayer commented about the Les Engagés' decision.
The centrists' victory in Belgium proves that a "decisive, nuanced discourse can convince citizens they don't have to resort to extremes. We will continue to condemn parties that choose to associate with far-right groups, as we did with EPP," Prévot stated.
