The AfD wants to form, together with the Lega, the Italian interior Minister, Salvini, and other right-wing parties in the next EU Parliament, a group of right-wing populists. Your goal: Nationalist politics in Europe.
“We want to reform Europe,” said Italy’s Minister of the interior, the Lega Populist Matteo Salvini, at a press conference in a fancy Hotel in Milan. “For many, Europe is a nightmare, not a dream.” So Salvini, launched its much-awaited attempt to unify Europe’s right-wing parties in the European elections in may, in a common group.
At his side, the Chairman, and is currently the only Europe-was-the Deputy of the Alternative for Germany, Jörg Meuthen. With representatives of the Danish people’s party and the Finnish small party were also “The Finns” – from more groups Salvini’s platform does not yet exist.
The new group should be called “European Alliance of people and Nations” (EAPN), said Meuthen, and be open to all, where conservatism and Patriotism are important. “Don’t welcome socialists, Communists, Ökofaschisten and extremists are us – from the left as from the right stock,” he added.
The Milan Meeting under the Motto “For a Europe of common sense: The Nations to be announced” was a major event. On the meager number of participants addressed, responded Salvini irritated: “A press conference with 15 participants from 15 parties would anyway not have been possible.”
The Austrian government party FPÖ and the French National collection of movement (formerly the National Front) did not take part in the Meeting. You are currently together with Salvini’s Lega party, the faction “Europe of Nations and freedom” (ENF).
A Europe of the “common sense”
Salvini’s promise to change the EU, in the case of many right-wing parties in Europe, the advertise immigration to restrict and to political powers to the national governments. In other points, such as the free trade or the distribution of European budget funds, however, there are differences of opinion.
Important European populists at the Milan Meeting have participated, may be a sign of different opinions in the right range. The audience rushed, these differences are small talk: “What unites us is greater than what divides us”, said Anders Vistisen of the Danish people’s party.
Marine Le Pen, Head of the French National party, and Salvini had met last Friday in Paris and its coalition via Twitter summoned. Le Pen wrote, she, together victories with Salvini “ready to go”. Salvini wrote that he wanted to enlarge the Alliance of the “common sense wanted to bring” to Europe.
Numbers game
Right-wing populist parties are already involved now in Italy, Hungary, Poland, and Austria to the government and can be expected to win, according to surveys, in the European elections with vote. However, you have not found on the European level to a common language – and that is the Problem, wants to solve Salvini with his platform.
At the time these parties find themselves in three different political groups in the European Parliament: in the group “Europe of freedom and direct democracy” (EFDD), in Jörg Meuthen as the AfD representative sits, the “European Conservatives and reformists” (ECR) and of the faction “Europe of Nations and freedom” (ENF), composed of Lega, the FPÖ and the National collection of movement.
“Common sense”: Jörg Meuthen, Matteo Salvini, Anders Vistisen (v. l. n. R.)
The ENF currently consists of 37 members and is thereby the smallest group in the EU Parliament. According to current surveys, the Lega could win 28 seats compared to five in the last elections in the year 2014. And the AfD, currently with only one member – Meuthen – represented, after some AfD members had left the party, it could win 13 seats. However, their Agenda to implement, are populists, other need to be persuaded to Join in.
Salvini’s supporters believe that he was the Right man for this task. “It is important that we are not alone, that we work together,” said Maximilian Krah, place the AfD list for the EU Parliament, in March, the DW. “I think that Salvini is the one who can bring the various national-conservative movements.”
In Brussels, something moving, you need to Salvini and his EAPN more support – and he is well aware of. He woos the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Chairman of the Polish ruling party, the PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. But so far, neither the Hungarian Fidesz make the PiS institutions, Salvini’s group to join, although the membership of the Fidesz was suspended in the group of the European people’s party in the last month until further notice.
The moderate response to Salvini’s in Milan Meeting addressed, said the Dane, Vistisen for DW, he hoped, the creation of the EAPN would also encourage other groups to join her. To other populist groups contacted, said Vistisen: “If ye will not come to us, will win our opponents.”
If it is Salvini, it should be able to persuade Fidesz and PiS to participate, could change the new group in the EU Parliament. So far, it remains in this “if…”.
“We don’t want to divide Europe,” said Salvini in Milan. “We want to work together.”