Far-right influence rises in EU Parliament under ECR Bloc

Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) –  The ECR bloc, led by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, secured key leadership positions in EU Parliament committees, raising concerns about the normalization of far-right influence.

Is ECR’s rise a threat to EU democratic values?

The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the right-wing bloc overseen by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, contrived to secure high-profile positions on more than a dozen committees in the EU Parliament following this year’s EU elections.

Of the EU parliament‘s 20 committees and four subcommittees, the ECR cluster has been allocated 13 standings, including three seat positions and 10 vice chair positions. Seven of these positions, on committees that cover critical issues like foreign affairs, security, environment and public health, have been provided to members of Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party up from one in the last parliamentary period. Carlo Fidanza of the Brothers of Italy said that his party was “proud” of this change.

Responding to the news on July 23, Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the ECR group and also a Brothers of Italy lawmaker, accommodated the growing role of his bloc in EU parliamentary affairs. “Despite the Left’s endeavour to boycott us in all committees, the positive development of today’s votes shows that the prevalence has shifted and that the Conservatives can be strong in this next five-year legislature,” he said in a statement.

How will ECR influence EU Parliament’s agenda?

Some observers are anxious that having ECR representatives in such strong committee leadership positions could not only affect the parliamentary agenda but also lead to a normalization of the far right within the EU Parliament and progressively undermine democratic values.

“The normalization of the radical right as indicated by ECR’s course & the lack of cordon sanitaire toward it by mainstream political parties threaten liberal democratic values,” Zsuzsanna Vegh, a program officer at the German Marshall Fund, a US public policy think tank, stated. By cordon sanitaire, she was directed to the firewall strategy employed by mainstream political parties to intercept the far right from power by refusing collaboration. “This trend, if continues, could challenge the achievements of European integration,” she said.

Not all groups in the ECR are considered far-right, but the authority of the Brothers of Italy has some lawmakers and political analysts concerned. Julien Hoez, the editor of a politics newsletter and EU affairs consultant, said the ECR is split between those who are just “Euroskeptic right-wingers [and] those who are more toxic far-right actors.” Their growing prominence in the EU, particularly of the Brothers of Italy members, “could hurt women’s rights, press freedoms and the competent management of migration issues,” he said.

“They could try and push a policy that blocks asylum-seekers and foreign workers from entering Europe,” stated Hoez.

Vegh indicated that committee chairs and vice chairs play an essential role in planning and executing the legislative work of the EU Parliament. They not only ensure discussion on various bills but also set the agenda, manage meetings and oversee who handles key dossiers on specific bills.

“These are critical positions when it comes to affecting legislative work,” she said. “Normalization [of the far right] brings about better chances for representatives of such parties to influence European legislation in a direction that is in line with their ideological and programmatic preferences.”