Valérie Hayer, the lead candidate for the majority in the European elections, stated that the Dutch liberals, who formed an alliance with the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands, should not continue to sit within the centrist Renew group in the European Parliament. She emphasized that this option is not acceptable as they do not respect the values of the group by forming this alliance. Hayer, who currently heads the Renew group, stated that the line has been clearly drawn against the far-right and it is a fundamental value of the group that she will uphold.
Hayer mentioned that she will have a discussion with all members of the Renew group on June 10, following the elections, in accordance with the group’s statutes. In the Netherlands, a coalition agreement was reached nearly six months after the electoral victory of PVV leader Geert Wilders, involving the PVV, the Farmers’ and Citizens’ Movement (BBB, agrarian), the New Social Covenant (NSC, center-right), and the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, liberal), which sits within the Renew group in the European Parliament. This coalition agreement includes a very strict asylum policy, with the option to deviate from European rules, which has raised criticism from the left.
The alliance between the liberal VVD party and the far-right PVV in the Netherlands has been heavily criticized, especially by Raphaël Glucksmann, the lead candidate for the PS-Place publique. Glucksmann highlighted that similar alliances have been made in Sweden where liberals, associated with Emmanuel Macron’s group, formed a government alliance with the far-right. He believes that Renew should exclude parties that form agreements with the far-right in order to maintain the principles they stand for and not engage in political hypocrisy.
Glucksmann criticized the idea of constantly portraying a divide between center and far-right parties during elections in France, only to see center parties forming alliances with the far-right after the elections. He sees this as a form of hypocrisy and believes that Renew should take a stand against such alliances. The French and Swedish cases of liberal parties forming alliances with the far-right have raised concerns and calls for action to be taken within the Renew group in the European Parliament to maintain their core values and principles.
In conclusion, the issue of forming alliances with far-right parties in European politics has been a topic of discussion following recent coalition agreements in the Netherlands and Sweden. Valérie Hayer has made it clear that such alliances go against the core values of the Renew group, and steps will be taken to address this within the group. The criticism from Raphaël Glucksmann highlights the need to uphold principles and not engage in political games that contradict the values promoted during elections. The future actions of Renew in response to these alliances will be crucial in determining the group’s stance on working with far-right parties in the European Parliament.
