At the Brussels headquarters of the European Parliament, Thursday June 20, Valérie Hayer, president of the liberal group of Renew Europe, was delighted to welcome into her ranks the Belgian party Les Engagés and, with it, MEP Yvan Verougstraete. “The Renew group is growing”welcomed the one who led the list of the presidential majority in France for the European elections of June 9. “You get the ball rolling”she assured the new recruit, all smiles, promising “other arrivals” on the benches of Renew Europe.
The satisfaction was only short-lived. Friday June 21, the ANO party, of the former Czech Prime Minister, the eurosceptic Andrej Babis, announced that it was leaving the centrist group, which thus lost seven MEPs. “ANO chose a populist path that was not compatible with our values and our identity”commented Valérie Hayer, whose troops nevertheless, until the end, tried to convince the Czech party to stay on board.
This departure demotes Renew Europe, which moves from third to fourth place in the Strasbourg hemicycle, behind the Christian Democrats of the European People’s Party (EPP), the Social Democrats (S&D) and the nationalist right of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). ).
On the evening of June 9, Renew Europe, in which the Macronist elected officials constitute the first delegation, arrived, within a few seats, ahead of ECR, dominated by Fratelli d’Italia, the post-fascist party of the president of the Italian council, Giorgia Meloni. Despite the collapse in the number of French elected officials and the loss of nearly 20% of their MEPs, the liberals had avoided the worst. Since then, they have struggled to save their place – no one is talking about the exclusion of the Dutch party VVD, in coalition in the Netherlands with the far right – and to attract new elected officials.
“We remain essential”
For Emmanuel Macron, weakened on the European scene by the progression of the National Rally (RN), the issue is crucial. Just as it is for his Italian counterpart, who intends to influence the political choices of the European Union. Failing to succeed, at this stage, in recomposing the far right in the European Parliament – divided between ECR, the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, to which the RN is affiliated, and “non-registered” like the Alternative pour Germany (AfD) or the Hungarian Fidesz – Giorgia Meloni’s troops have been active in supplanting Renew Europe. With success.
ECR, with its 83 MEPs, and Renew Europe, with its 74 elected officials, are not yet completely stabilized. Other movements could occur in the coming days from one side or the other. But no one imagines that the Liberals can regain their number three position.
You have 46.74% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.