‘Patriots for Europe’: Hungary’s Orban announces new EU Parliament alliance

Sub: IR

Sec: Int grouping

Context:

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz, and the Czech ANO party led by Andrej Babis are forming a new alliance in the European Parliament, called “Patriots for Europe.”

About the new alliance- “Patriots for Europe”:

The alliance requires backing from parties in at least a quarter of the EU’s 27 member states to be officially recognized.
The three leaders signed a “patriotic manifesto” promising “peace, security and development” as opposed to the “war, migration and stagnation” they attribute to the “Brussels elite.”
- FPO is currently part of the Identity and Democracy group, while ANO recently left Renew Europe. Fidesz has remained outside larger groupings since leaving the European People’s Party (EPP) in 2021.
This new alliance coincides with Hungary taking over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, during which it can influence the agenda, despite having little real power.
- Hungary has been known to block or delay key EU decisions, including those on Ukraine, Russia, and
Orban’s presidency motto, “Make Europe Great Again,” has caused concern among European politicians.
The formation of this alliance follows gains by nationalist parties in recent European Parliament elections, where they capitalized on voter concerns over rising prices, migration, and the green transition.