On 1 July, the nationalist Portuguese partyChega, with two MEPs, became the fourth member of the Patriots for Europe.[28][29] On 5 July, the SpanishVox party also joined, leaving theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.[30] The same day, the DutchParty for Freedom (PVV), formerly part of the ID Group, also announced it would join.[31] On 6 July, theDanish People's Party andVlaams Belang, both part of the ID group, announced they would also join, bringing the group above the minimum number of member states required for an official European Parliament group.[32][33] On 8 July, theNational Rally (RN) andLega were announced as new members of the group.[34][35] The prerequisite for establishing a political group of the European Parliament is the membership of at least 23 MEPs from at least seven EU member states. The alliance met this criterion on 6 July 2024.[36] According toLe Monde, the RN waited until after the second round of the2024 French legislative election for the announcement "for fear of reviving suspicion of pro-Russian sympathies".[37]
During the formation process, parties previously speculated as possible members of the new EU Group included:[38][39][40]
Germany:Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has 15 MEPs (formerly part of the ID Group). However, due to previous tension between Fidesz and AfD, this was seen as unlikely,[41] with AfD stating it had no current plans to join.[42] AfD expressed interest in creating a group including Hungarian Fidesz rivalOur Homeland Movement and the BulgarianRevival. These parties eventually established a separate far-right grouping,Europe of Sovereign Nations.[43] Fidesz leaderViktor Orbán later stated in an interview that theNational Rally had objected to AfD joining the Patriots for Europe group.[44]
Slovakia:Smer–SD was speculated to join the alliance with its five MEPs; however, according to its junior coalition partner,Hlas–SD, Smer–SD expressed a preference for rejoining theS&D group.[48] Although it was later rejected from S&D,[49] Smer–SD declined to join Patriots for Europe, saying that it can not join the group that "has nothing to do withsocial democracy".[50][51]
Slovenia: TheSlovenian Democratic Party (SDS), which won four MEPs, ultimately remained part of theEPP Group, while noting that not all SDS MEPs agreed with this decision.[52][53]
Romania: TheDemocratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), which won two MEPS, announced that the party will remain in the EPP group, because they believe that Hungarian interests can be asserted by being in separate factions, and because Fidesz has not approached them to join.[54]
The PolishConfederation'sNational Movement, which won two MEPs, announced in July 2024 that it was in negotiations with Patriots for Europe, while the three Confederation MEPs fromNew Hope joined theESN group, and the oneConfederation of the Polish Crown MEP was not seeking to join.[58][59][60] Ultimately, the National Movement joined Patriots for Europe on 1 October.[61]
Patriots for Europe has MEPs in 13 member states. Dark purple indicates member states sending multiple MEPs, light purple indicates member states sending a single MEP.
^ANO announced its departure fromALDE andRenew Europe on 21 June 2024, with leader Andrej Babiš declaring that ANO would not be able to fulfill its program as part of those groups. ANO considered joining other EU political groups after its departure, before successfully negotiating the creation of the Patriots for Europe alliance withFidesz and theFPÖ.
^KDNP left the EPP party and the EPP group, after the EPP group decided to admit theTISZA party. After the creation of the Patriots for Europe alliance, KDNP decided to join.
^Part of theConfederation alliance. Its other members did not join.
^The party contested the2019 European Parliament election as a member of ID, but failed to win any seats. After the2024 election, the party gained representation, but decided to join PfE instead of sitting with the collapsing ID.
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France
Hungary
Italy
Czech Republic
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Austria
Denmark
Belgium
Media related toPatriots for Europe at Wikimedia Commons
