Rising far-right presence in European Parliament raises questions over potential policy impacts

By Selen Valente

BRUSSELS (AA) - As the European Parliament begins its new five-year legislative term, attention is turning to the increased presence of far-right political groups and the extent of their influence on European Union policies.

The newly elected parliament, which convened this week in the French city of Strasbourg for its first plenary session following June 6-9 elections, is marked by the rising prominence of far-right factions.

These groups, though fragmented, have secured more seats, with the parliament now featuring 720 seats in total.

One of the new far-right groups is Europe of Sovereign Nations, led by Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which gained ground in Sept. 1 state elections and now holds 25 seats.

Another is Patriots for Europe, led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party, which controls 84 seats.

The rise of the far right, which has been observed in elections across various European countries, is now shaping the European political landscape. Analysts are questioning whether these parties, which oppose European integration, will steer the EU towards fragmentation.

-Divisions among far right

Despite their growing numbers, political scientists highlight that the far right in the European Parliament is far from a unified force.

Jerome Jamin, a professor of political science at Belgium’s University of Liege, said the far right remains divided by national agendas and ideological differences.

“The radical right in Parliament is not a homogeneous political family at all,” Jamin said.

He noted that although these parties talk about "Europe” on the surface, they remain influenced by their national issues.

"For example, the French right does not have the same concerns as the Spanish right in the European Parliament, due to differences that are more national and regional than doctrinal,” he said.

Jamin added that ideological divides also play a role.

“It's even worse for the far right with highly ideological agendas which, if we were in the United States, would be considered “cultural warfare” with deep cultural questions: Is Europe a white continent, or should be a white continent? Has the European identity to be Christian? Is a couple just a man and a woman, or possibly two men? Regarding abortion, who owns the body of a woman? Should we open up to Russia or remain under American influence?”

Peter Hefele, policy director of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, said the far right in the European Parliament is divided into three groups, ranging from relatively moderate to extreme.

“They currently do not have a common agenda,” Hefele said. “Some want to remain in the Union but demand reforms, while others want to dismantle the Union altogether. Their economic policies also differ. Some are protectionist, while others are more market-oriented. There’s no unifying factor at the moment.”

“They do not have a common agenda for the moment,” Hefele said. “As far as I see, they have different opinions, both on the future of the European Union, from those who still want to stay within the Union but have called for some reforms, to the extremists from which de facto want to dismantle the Union and go back to a whatever union of nation states.”

“If you look into economic policy, some are very protectionist. Others are more market oriented. So for the moment, I don't see any unifying force bringing these blocs together,” he added.

Despite these divisions, Hefele noted that the far right might have some influence on issues such as migration but are unlikely to shift the EU’s foreign policy, such as its support for Ukraine.

As for the potential fragmentation of the EU, he warned that “the danger is there definitely. It depends on the other forces, whether they have a clear idea.”

-Potential Impact on EU Policies

Daniel Kinderman, associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations and director of European Studies at the University of Delaware, noted that far-right groups do not yet hold enough seats to make a significant impact on EU legislation.

“Currently, the far-right MEPs in the European Parliament do not have enough votes to exert a large influence on EU legislation, even if they vote as a bloc. But this changes if they can find allies, and that may sometimes be the case with center-right or even some populist left parties. In any case, they can exert growing pressure.”

"The fragmentation of the far-right MEPs is unlikely to significantly limit their influence. I expect that in many policy areas, they will vote as a bloc and work together to exert pressure on parties of the moderate or center-right,” he added.

Kinderman said that if the far right gains control of more national governments in the EU, they could play an important role in amplifying and fostering these divisions within the EU.

“We are not there yet, but if and when this does happen, Europe will change profoundly, especially if the far right is able to gain control of a large EU country such as France.”

Oliviero Angeli from Dresden Technical University in Germany expects the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group to have a more direct impact on EU policymaking than the far-right Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations.

Angeli said the outcome of the US presidential election in November could also impact the strategies of far-right parties in Europe.

-Far-right’s stance on Israel

Irish journalist and author David Cronin observed that the far right across Europe appears to be united in its pro-Israel stance, despite other ideological differences.

“Racism and xenophobia are central to far-right politics,” Cronin said.

“The pro-Israel lobby in Brussels used to be slightly reluctant about cozying up with the extreme right, or at least being seen as cozying up. But the lobby has dropped its reluctance in recent times. Again, there is a grim logic to Israel’s embrace of the extreme right in Europe and beyond. Israel’s current government is the most openly violent and racist since the foundation of that state. Nobody should be surprised that it has made friends with the violent racists on Europe’s extreme right.”