The European Parliament is home to three right-wing groups known as the Patriots for Europe, Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). These groups are generally nationalist, sovereigntist, conservative, and Eurosceptic, although they differ on their positions regarding Russia, Ukraine, and their relationship with the European Union. Despite being classified as far-right, most of these groups reject this label and prefer terms such as extreme right, hard right, radical right, national conservative, or populist. The distinctions between these groups are becoming increasingly blurred, leading to confusion in European public debates.
The Europe of Sovereign Nations has been described as the most extreme far-right group in the European Parliament, with parties such as the Alternative for Germany, Confederation from Poland, and Bulgarian MEPs from the pro-Russian party Renaissance making up the group. This group is considered extremist, illiberal, and nativist, as they do not always respect parliamentary democracy, have authoritarian traits, oppose the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law, and individual freedoms, and are against immigration. Sinardet, a Professor of Political Science, highlights that parties within this group are characterized by their illiberal and nativist ideologies.
The Patriots for Europe, with 86 MEPs, is the third-largest force in the European Parliament and is a coalition of right-wing parties from France, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and Austria. Led by figures such as Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orbán, Matteo Salvini, Santiago Abascal, and Herbert Kickl, this group can also be classified as populist. Populism entails portraying society as a divide between a corrupt elite and “the people”, who are depicted as pure and homogeneous. This binary vision of society is not exclusive to the right-wing, as left-wing parties like La France Insoumise are also considered populist.
Europeans Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a group with 78 MEPs that consists of parties led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and former Polish leader Jarosław Kaczyński’s Law and Justice. These parties do not fall under the extreme or far-right category but are often described as radical right. This label is attributed to parties that combine ideologies of nativism and authoritarianism, prioritizing adherence to authority as a supreme value. While not all parties in the ECR are considered radical right-wing, some exhibit nationalist and conservative tendencies, while others align with radical right ideologies.
Overall, the classifications of these right-wing groups in the European Parliament are complex and nuanced. While most reject being labeled as far-right, distinctions between extreme right, hard right, radical right, national conservative, and populist continue to shape public debates in Europe. The Europe of Sovereign Nations is seen as the most extreme group, characterized by illiberal and nativist tendencies. Patriots for Europe and ECR also demonstrate populist and radical right ideologies, depending on the parties involved. The evolving nature of these groups and their ideologies suggests a complex landscape of right-wing politics in the European Parliament.
