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The EU is “out of the (global) game”, Spanish MEP Jorge Buxadé told Euronews. His far-right group plans to continue cooperating both nationally and transatlantically to gain more political power in Europe.
The European Union is “out of the game” against major global players such as China and the United States and needs a new strategy and leadership to break the deadlock, said Spanish MEP and head of the Vox delegation in the European Parliament Jorge Buxadé in an interview with Euronews. “We want Europe to be multicoloured again, for each nation to have its own personality, its own identity, and for it not to be Ursula von der Leyen and her bunch of bureaucrats making the decisions,” said Buxadé. Buxadé was talking in the context of a summit of the far-right party Patriots for Europe, which this Friday and Saturday brings together the leaders of 14 national parties to define their strategy for the coming months against mainstream centre parties, the European People’s Party and the European Socialists. This is the first time the European party has convened since the election of Spanish leader Santiago Abascal as head of the new party, which has a counterpart group in the European Parliament. There, it is the third-largest political force with 86 MEPs. The Patriots for Europe see Donald Trump’s return to the White House as a boon (or perhaps a good omen), Buxadé said, highlighting that the slogan for the summit in Madrid is “Make Europe great Again”. The party’s agenda includes proposing temporary suspension of the Green Deal, enhancing security, combating illegal migration, and protecting freedom of expression. Last week, French far-right leader Jordan Bardella sent a letter to the centre-right EPP, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the European Sovereign Nations (ESN) groups in the Parliament, urging them to form an alternative alliance against the left in order to temporarily suspend the EU’s landmark Green Deal, a package of measures aimed at making the EU climate neutral by 2050. The EPP chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee quickly rejected the call, while the ECR remained open to further discussions. For the coming months, Patriots for Europe is planning to continue expanding its political influence in Europe. “I believe that one of the objectives of the Patriots under Santiago Abascal’s presidency is to support each other in winning elections. We have to help each other. That is our cooperation,” declared Buxadé. The Patriots for Europe party includes figures such as Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (France), Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz (Hungary), Matteo Salvini’s Lega (Italy), Geert Wilders (The Netherlands), and Andrej Babiš (Czechia)—though only Orbán currently holds a seat in the Council of the EU, which represents the 27 member states. “Wilders’ party in the Netherlands supports the Dutch government. Matteo Salvini and Lega back Meloni’s government in Italy. Now, FPÖ in Austria is negotiating to enter government. The October elections in Czechia will bring Babiš to victory. In other words, we are no longer just the future—we are the real, immediate future,” argued Buxadé. The Spanish MEP acknowledges that the Patriots are also a transatlantic party that not only coordinates with the United States but also with other right-wing leaders such as Argentine President Javier Milei and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña. “Patriots is a transatlantic party, but we are also open. It is not only a transatlantic alliance with the North, with the United States, but also with the South. That is where VOX plays a key role—bridging the connection with Milei and Peña,” Buxadé added. Friday’s meeting of European far-right leaders will be held behind closed doors. However, on Saturday morning, the leaders will gather at the Marriott Auditorium hotel to present their vision and program for 2025.
