A new right-wing alliance led by the Hungarian Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has now become the third-largest faction in size (with 84 seats). These Patriots for Europe more or less absorb the former ID group of far-right groups, except for the German AfD and a few controversial nationalist groups.

In addition, the European Conservatives and Reformists alliance (ECR) has become the fourth-largest party in Strasbourg, but due to internal struggles among both Spanish and Italian radicals, just like in past decades, no right-wing alliance has yet emerged in the European Parliament.

As a result, in preparation for the first meeting of the new Parliament (in the week of July 16 - 19), it is already clear how most political positions will be allocated in the coming years. It shows that the highly coveted and influential committee chairmanships will again go to the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Liberals, and to a few politicians from the Greens and ECR Conservatives.

The far-right Patriots for Europe are informally excluded from influential positions by a cordon sanitaire. Despite their larger size compared to the previous far-right alliance, the ID group, they will likely struggle to obtain influential roles in Parliament.

The traditionally center-right and center-left parties, which once formed a majority together, now hold only 45% of the seats, with the EPP at 188 and the Socialists at 136. The composition of the groups may still change ahead of the first meeting of the new European Parliament. At that time, there will also be a vote on a possible second term for Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission.

viktor-orban

Pro-European groups keep the far right out of Brussels power

Pro-European groups keep the far right out of Brussels power