The European Parliament has seen a major reshuffle, with the far-right group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) reorganizing themselves and claiming 84 members. This makes them the third largest group in the parliament, surpassing the Liberals who currently have 75 parliamentarians.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in Brussels, where leaders of the largest national delegations in the far-right group were present. These include Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia, FdI) led by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni with 24 MEPs, and Polish opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) and its offshoot Sovereign Poland with 20 parliamentarians.
Speculations had been swirling that PiS could join the right-wing faction “Patriots for Europe,” as announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl. They had formed a pact with eurosceptic ANO party of former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. While Fidesz-Parteithe, FPÖ, and AGAIN have the required number of 23 MEPs to form a parliamentary group, they lack supporters from four other EU countries.
Other parties speculated to join the right-wing faction included Enough-I’m Gone from Portugal, Lega from Italy, and Rassemblement National (RN) from France led by right-wing populist Marine Le Pen. The alliances and reorganizations within the European Parliament emphasize the shifting political landscape of Europe.