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NathalieBrack
partiesbelongingtotheEuropeanparty“EuropeanAllianceforFreedom.”
Then,inJune2015,anewEPgroupwascreated:the“Europeofthenations
andliberties”group,with37membersfrom7Memberstates(theFrenchFN,
theDutchPartyofFreedom,theBelgianVlaamsBelang,theItalianLega
Nord,theAustrianFreedomParty,aformerUKIPMEPandtwomembers
fromthePolishCongressoftheNewRight).Atthetimeofwriting,itis
muchtoosoontoexaminethecohesionofthisgrouporpredictitslifespan.
TheaimofMarineLePenistohaveacoherentandstablealliancewithher
partnersbutgiventheheterogeneityofthegroup,itwouldnotbesurprising
toseerecurringtensionsbetweenitsmembersandthepreviousattemptsto
formstablesalliancesamongnationalistpartieswererathershort-lived(the
latestwastheIdentity,Tradition,Sovereigntygroupwhichlastedlessthan
ayear).
Amongthepro-sovereignty/anti-EUparties,UKIPwerethe“big
winners”intheEPelections,endingfirstintheUK.Butotherpartieswith
aEuroscepticdiscoursealsomadesignificantprogress,suchastheItalian
FiveStarMovement,whichmadeareferendumonItaly’sparticipationinthe
eurozoneamajorcomponentofitscampaign.Thepartypolled21.5%ofthe
vote,comingsecondintheItaliancontestandbecomingtheleadingparty,
withUKIP,intheEFDDgroup.Theywerejoinedbyseveraldelegations
fromradicalandpopulistEuroscepticparties,theCzechPartyofFree
Citizens,Lithuania’sOrderandJustice,theradicalrightSwedenDemocrats,
andarepresentativefromthePolishCongressoftheNewRight.
AlthoughthesituationdiffersacrossEurope,andthepotential“tsunami”
effectneedstobequalifiedbythelowturnout,therehasneverbeensuch
ahighnumberofdissentingvoicesintheEP,especiallyfromrightwing
populistandradicalparties.
IncreasedElectoralSuccess
butaLimitedImpactintheEuropeanParliament
ThenumberofdissentingvoicesintheEPfollowingtheMay
2014Europeanelectionshasgrownsignificantly.Thepercentageofpopulist
andradicalrightpartiesopposedtoorquestioningaspectsoftheEuropean
integrationprojectcouldalterthedynamicsoftheStrasbourgchamber,and
theirsuccessatthelastEPelectioncertainlyraisesonceagaintheissueofthe
linkbetweenEurope’scitizensandelites.
12
ThePolishQuarterlyofInternationalAffairs,2015,no.2
