Patriots for Europe

Patriots for Europe
European Parliament group
English abbr.	PfE Patriots
Ideology	Sovereigntism[5] National conservatism[6] Right-wing populism[7] Euroscepticism[11]
Political position	Right-wing[14] to far-right[18]
European parties	Patriots.eu
From	8 July 2024; 12 months ago (8 July 2024)
Preceded by	Identity and Democracy
Chaired by	Jordan Bardella
MEP(s)	85 / 720
Website	www.patriotsforeurope.eu

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Patriots for Europe (PfE or Patriots) is a right-wing to far-right sovereigntist^[3] political group, formed as the third-largest group ahead of the tenth European Parliament.

The group includes all but one member from the Identity and Democracy group and members from other groups. The group could also coordinate the work of its members at the European Council and the Council of the European Union.^[19]

Fidesz had been unaffiliated at the European level since leaving the European People's Party Group (EPP Group) in March 2021. ANO MEPs belonged to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and its affiliated Renew Europe group since 2011, but left both organisations after the 2024 European Parliament elections, citing disagreements with the party's programme. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) belonged to the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group during the ninth term (2019–2024).^[20]

On 30 June 2024, the founding of the group was announced at a press conference in Vienna by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz), former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO 2011), and former Austrian Minister of the Interior Herbert Kickl and MEP Harald Vilimsky (both Freedom Party of Austria).^[15][21][22] Representatives of the three founding parties signed "A Patriotic Manifesto for a European Future",^[23][24][25] setting out the alliance's ideological positions, including weakening the EU, a focus on European cultural identity, opposition to illegal immigration, and a revision of the European Green Deal.^[26]

On 1 July, the nationalist Portuguese party Chega, with two MEPs, became the fourth member of the Patriots for Europe.^[27][28] On 5 July, the Spanish Vox party also joined, leaving the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.^[29] The same day, the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), formerly part of the ID Group, also announced it would join.^[30] On 6 July, the Danish People's Party and Vlaams Belang, both part of the ID group, announced they would also join, bringing the group above the minimum number of member states required for an official European Parliament group.^[31][32] On 8 July, the National Rally (RN) and Lega were announced as new members of the group.^[33][34] The prerequisite for establishing a political group of the European Parliament is the membership of at least 23 MEPs from at least seven EU member states. The alliance met this criterion on 6 July 2024.^[35] According to Le Monde, the RN waited until after the second round of the 2024 French legislative election for the announcement "for fear of reviving suspicion of pro-Russian sympathies".^[36]

During the formation process, parties previously speculated as possible members of the new EU Group included:^[37][16][38]

• Germany: Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has 15 MEPs (formerly part of the ID Group). However, due to previous tension between Fidesz and AfD, this was seen as unlikely,^[39] with AfD stating it had no current plans to join.^[40] AfD expressed interest in creating a group including Hungarian Fidesz rival Our Homeland Movement and the Bulgarian Revival. These parties eventually established a separate far-right grouping, Europe of Sovereign Nations.^[41] Fidesz leader Viktor Orbán later stated in an interview that the National Rally had objected to AfD joining the Patriots for Europe group.^[42]
• Poland: Law and Justice (PiS), which won 20 MEPs, initially negotiated with the Patriots for Europe, but later reached an agreement with Brothers of Italy allowing it to remain in the European Conservatives and Reformists.^[43]
• Slovakia: Republic Movement, with two MEPs, expressed interest in membership,^[44] but one MEP subsequently joined Europe of Sovereign Nations on 10 July.^[45]
• Slovakia: Smer–SD was speculated to join the alliance with its five MEPs; however, according to its junior coalition partner, Hlas–SD, Smer–SD expressed a preference for rejoining the S&D group.^[46] Although it was later rejected from S&D,^[47] Smer–SD declined to join Patriots for Europe, saying that it can not join the group that "has nothing to do with social democracy".^[48][49]
• Slovenia: The Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), which won four MEPs, ultimately remained part of the EPP Group, while noting that not all SDS MEPs agreed with this decision.^[50][51]
• Romania: The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), which won two MEPS, announced that the party will remain in the EPP group, because they believe that Hungarian interests can be asserted by being in separate factions, and because Fidesz has not approached them to join.^[52]

On 8 July, Jordan Bardella, president of the French National Rally (RN), was named as the group's president.^[53][54][55]

The Polish Confederation's National Movement, which won two MEPs, announced in July 2024 that it was in negotiations with Patriots for Europe, while the three Confederation MEPs from New Hope joined the ESN group, and the one Confederation of the Polish Crown MEP was not seeking to join.^[56][57][58] Ultimately, the National Movement joined Patriots for Europe on 1 October.^[59]

Following the expulsion of Luxembourgish Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) MEP Fernand Kartheiser from the ECR group, the Patriots for Europe group approached the ADR for talks. The ADR stated that while it was considering what group the party wanted to belong to if the whole party were fully expelled from the ECR, it was not yet actively discussing membership with any other political group.^[60]

State	National party	Former political group	European party		MEPs[61]
Austria	Freedom Party of Austria Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ)	Identity and Democracy		Patriots.eu	6 / 20
Belgium	Flemish Interest Vlaams Belang (VB)	Identity and Democracy		Patriots.eu	3 / 22
Czech Republic	ANO 2011 ANO 2011 (ANO)	Renew Europe[a]		Patriots.eu	7 / 21
	Přísaha[62] Přísaha občanské hnutí (Přísaha)	N/A		Patriots.eu[63]	1 / 21
	Motorists for Themselves[64] Motoristé sobě (AUTO)	N/A		Patriots.eu	1 / 21
Denmark	Danish People's Party Dansk Folkeparti (DF)	Identity and Democracy		Patriots.eu	1 / 15
France	National Rally Rassemblement National (RN)	Identity and Democracy		Patriots.eu	29 / 81
Greece	Voice of Reason Φωνή Λογικής (ΦΛ)	N/A		Patriots.eu	1 / 21
Hungary	Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség	Non-Inscrits		Patriots.eu	10 / 21
	Christian Democratic People's Party Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt (KDNP)	European People's Party Group[b]		None	1 / 21
Italy	League Lega	Identity and Democracy		Patriots.eu	8 / 76
Latvia	Latvia First Latvija pirmajā vietā (LPV)	N/A		Patriots.eu	1 / 9
Netherlands	Party for Freedom Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV)	Identity and Democracy[c]		Patriots.eu	6 / 31
Poland	National Movement[d] Ruch Narodowy (RN)	Non-Inscrits		Patriots.eu	2 / 53
Portugal	Enough! Chega!	N/A[e]		Patriots.eu	2 / 21
Spain	Vox Vox	European Conservatives and Reformists[f]		Patriots.eu	6 / 61
European Union	Total				86 / 720

President		Took office	Left office	State	Party
Jordan Bardella		8 July 2024	present	France	National Rally

Group bureau during the 10th European Parliament.^[54]

Position	Name	State	National party	European party
President	Jordan Bardella	France	National Rally		Patriots.eu
First Vice-President	Kinga Gál	Hungary	Fidesz		Patriots.eu
Vice-President	Paolo Borchia	Italy	League		Patriots.eu
Vice-President	Klára Dostálová	Czech Republic	ANO 2011		Patriots.eu
Vice-President	Sebastiaan Stöteler	Netherlands	Party for Freedom		Patriots.eu
Vice-President	António Tânger Corrêa	Portugal	Chega		Patriots.eu
Vice-President	Hermann Tertsch	Spain	Vox		Patriots.eu
Vice-President	Harald Vilimsky	Austria	Freedom Party of Austria		Patriots.eu
Chief Whip	Anders Vistisen	Denmark	Danish People's Party		Patriots.eu
Treasurer	Gerolf Annemans	Belgium	Vlaams Belang		Patriots.eu

• Europe of Sovereign Nations

• Media related to Patriots for Europe at Wikimedia Commons