On Friday, June 22, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced that his party, ANO, abandoned the liberal Renew Group in the European Parliament. The decision weakens the liberal group in the Parliament, favouring the ambitions of the far-right, mainly Giorgia Meloni, who seeks to increase her influence in European affairs. Moreover, according to the media and social media, the former Prime Minister aims to create another group in Parliament to bring together illiberal and anti-EU political leaders.
The reasons leading the Babiš party officially out of the pro-EU camp are the differences between the Czechs and the Renew on the Green Deal and migration. However, Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO 2011) was a problem among the members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, which it joined in June 2014. It was also a problem among the liberal parties of the Renew group. ANO is a populist party, essentially anti-liberal, that holds closed relations with the far-right milieu of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party in Hungary.
Concerning his plans, Babiš announced on X on June 24 that ANO “left both the Renew Europe and ALDE factions because we are not interested in positions. What matters to us is that we can fulfil our programme. So, keep your fingers crossed that it goes well. You will hear more about the YES movement in Europe”.
What does this cryptic announcement mean? What will the YES movement be, and with which other political parties does the leader of ANO plan to partner? There are three conditions for forming a new group in Parliament. Two of them request 23 MEPs from seven countries.
In the illiberal, far-right and generally anti-EU camp, there are already the ECR and the Identity and Democracy (ID) groups. Meloni and Marine Le Pen are their absolute leaders, respectively. A third group, including extremist parties, such as the German AfD and the Bulgarian Revival, will potentially appear soon. The parties of Orbán (Fidesz), Robert Fico (SMER) and Voice–Social Democracy (Hlas), founded in 2020 by the now Slovak President Peter Pellegrini (Hlas), are actually without partnerships in the Parliament. There are speculations about the options each party has.
According to the Slovak daily Sme, Babiš has already discussed establishing a new group with representatives of Fidezs, SMER, and Hlas. However, no details about what they discussed are made public.
The paper also suggests that Babiš eyes the Dutch Geert Wilders – a leading ID member – the Slovenian Janez Janša – whose party is an EPP member – and even Marine Le Pen. However, such an ambitious plan seems more like a dream than a reality target.
Le Pen would like to bring other far-right and illiberal parties into a further group. Fidesz and Smer could fit what the French politician seeks. However, Hlas, who, despite its anti-Ukrainian policy, claims that it is a pro-EU political formation, would difficultly partner with the “black sheep” of Europe. In addition, Janša, while influenced by Orbán, will hardly break relations with the vast family of the EPP, also considering the risk of a split in his party.
Finally, finding a place in a political family in the Parliament poses another not negligible problem for Babiš. One of the most prominent parties of the ECR in the Czech Republic is the Civic Democratic Party of Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Also, an old member of the ID in the country is the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) of Tomio Okamura. Both parties are rivals to ANO.
Of course, nobody can exclude that the leader of ANO will manage to establish a group borrowing MEPs to fulfill the condition of representatives from seven countries. Nevertheless, a third condition for the recognition of a new group exists. Its members should have a common programme and views that differentiate them from the already existing groups in the Parliament.
Is ANO’s decision working for the far right?
Undoubtedly, ANO’s leaving weakens the Renew group, as the Czech party won seven seats in the EU election. It is not only a problem for the liberal group but also the EU as it could impact the election of the next European Commission’s President.
Meloni hopes that ECR votes will be crucial for the election of the EC President, a perspective that could give its group a key role in managing European affairs. It would also allow the Italian Prime Minister to negotiate a first-class position for Italy in the next Commission.
However, the votes of the EPP, the Social Democrats, and the Renew group could be enough for the task. The Greens also said earlier this month that they could vote for Ursula von der Leyen‘s re-election under the condition that there will not be any deal with the far right, which means the ECR.
