Hungarian Prime Minister Orban announced the creation of a political group in the European Parliament, it will include representatives of right-wing forces from Austria and the Czech Republic. This is reported by Bloomberg.
“We are creating a political formation that will move forward and will soon become the largest right-wing grouping in Europe,” Orban told reporters in Vienna on Sunday.
For Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, the move is an attempt to return to a more influential position in the bloc after he had to leave the moderate conservative EPP in 2021. The Austrian Freedom Party was part of the Identity and Democracy group led by France’s Rassemblement Nationale. Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO is leaving the liberal Renewal faction to join Orbán’s new alliance, reports said.
The three parties united today will have the minimum 23 seats needed to formally create a separate caucus in the European Parliament. However, they must also include MPs from at least seven member states to be recognized.
It has been noted that one obstacle to the expansion of Orban’s grouping, including attempts to win over Poland’s Law and Justice party to his side, could be different attitudes towards Russia. The Hungarian leader and the Freedom Party are staunch opponents of providing military and financial aid to Ukraine, while Law and Justice and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have pledged to support Kiev.
Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s junior coalition party, said he welcomed the plans, but did not specify whether his League party would join Orban’s alliance.
“We want to maximize the perimeter of a group that will be strong, patriotic, united and opposed to backroom deals,” Salvini said.
The new political group pledged to limit the European Union’s influence and return more power to member states, as well as fight immigration, reports said. Leaders of the alliance said in Vienna they would continue talks on its formation and will hold another briefing later in Brussels, where Hungary is due to take over the EU presidency on Monday.
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