Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom

History

In the aftermath of the European Parliament election, 2014 , the parties affiliated with the European Alliance for Freedom unsuccessfully Attempted to form a political group in the European Parliament . ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Later in 2014, they decided to create a new European-level structure, which became the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom. The Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) is not participating in this pan-European party, but it has been funded by the European Union. ^[5] The Polish Congress of the New Right (KNP), originally claimed to be a part of the new alliance, but was accused by the French National Front of spreading false claims in the Polish and Austrian media. ^[6] Ultimately the KNP took part in the creation of the party’s new parliamentary group and its controversial leader Janusz Korwin-Mikke was evicted from the party to be replaced by Michal Marusik.

It was recognized by the European Parliament (EP) in 2015. Its maximum grant for the year is € 1,170,746 ^[7] plus € 621,677 for its affiliated political foundation , the Foundation for a Europe of Nations and Freedoms . ^[8]

On 16 June 2015, the Europe of Nations and Freedom parliamentary group Was created in the European Parliament with members of the MENL (FN, FPÖ LN, VB) as well as the PVV Poland’s KNP and to train member of UKIP , Janice Atkinson .

The 1st congress of the movement was held on June 28th, 2015 in Perpignan , France gathering some MEPs from the National Front and a few of its local & national representatives members; The objective of this meeting is about the first year of action of the National Front MEPs in review. ^[9]

On September 15, 2015, the Flemish Vlaams Belang (VB) and the movement organized a colloquium dealing with sovereignty that took place in the Flemish Parliament with VB’s leader Tom Van Grieken , MEP’s Gerolf Annemans , VB’s member Barbara Pas and National Front’s leading Marine The Pen . ^[10] All of the Flemish parties approved Marine The Pen’s visit to the Flemish Parliament and the speaker of the Flemish Parliament Jan Peumans ( N-VA ). ^[11]

On 24 October 2015, MENL’s leader and vice-president of the National Front Louis Aliot puts the current president of the Brothers of Italy , Giorgia Meloni in Trieste for a conference on immigration. ^[12]

Marine Le Pen praised SVP ’s victory during the 2015 Swiss election does not have any official links with the movement. ^[13] The movement also launched an anti-immigration campaign in 2015 just like the SVP’s campaign during Swiss referendum on immigration in 2014.

On 21 November 2015, MENL’s think thank „Foundation for a Europe of Nations and Freedom“ organized to colloquium („The euro, an inevitable failure?“) Dealing with Euro and how it could be an inescapable failure. Jacques Sapirtook part in this colloqium among others. The FENF, Chaired by Gerolf Annemans , Organized Another Colloquium on 2 April 2016 in Paris dealing with union representation and the development of professional organizations in France. ^[14]

The third colloquium of the movement took place on 4 March 2016 in the Flemish Parliament with VB ’s leader Tom Van Grieken and PVV ‚ s leader Geert Wilders . This colloquium entitled „Freedom“ („Vrijheid“) dealt with liberties in Europe and how they would be threatened by „countries with cultures which are fundamentally different [from the European one]“. ^[15]

The movement’s member and allies are in July 2016 in Vienna, an event hosted by Austria’s FPÖ. The French National Front, Matteo Salvini ’s Northern League, the AfD, Belgium‘ s Vlaams Belang , the Dutch Party for Freedom are present among other independent politicians and smaller European parties. ^[16]

According to Politico , the movement owed in 2016 the European Parliament € 535,818. The reasons given by Politics are the prohibition of national political parties and referendum campaigns. ^[17] EU funds back to the European Parliament. ^[18]

Member parties

The following national delegations are part of MENL: ^[19]

Country	Party	European MPs	National MPs
austria	Freedom Party of Austria	4/18	51/183
belgium	Vlaams Belang [20]	1/21	3/150
la France	National Front	17/74	8/577
italy	Northern League	6/73	20/630
Czech Republic	Freedom and Direct Democracy	0/21	22/200

Other related parties

The Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), the Polish Congress of the New Right (KNP) and the German Alternative for Germany (AfD), despite not being members of MENL, participates in its political group in the European Parliament, ENL . ^[21]

MENL leaders also have public political relations of some kind with Brothers of Italy (FdI, Italy) ^[22] and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD, Czech Republic). ^[23] The latter is now a full member of the pan-European party.

In February 2016, the FPÖ’s leader Heinz-Christian Strache Was Invited by the anti-Euro & anti-immigration party AFD and Its leader Frauke Petry to Their congress in Düsseldorf and the AFD has aussi annoncé cooperation pact with the FPÖ. ^[24] [25] In April 2016, AFD’s Vice President Alexander Gauland aussi Proposed year alliance with Marine Le Pen ’s National Front . ^[26] Therefore, AfD’s MEP Marcus Pretzell joined the Europe of Nations and FreedomGroup on 30 April 2016.

In February 2017, French MEP Edouard Ferrand puts with VOX ’s leaders during a meeting of the Spanish right-wing party. ^[27] Back in 2016, VOX’s President Santiago Abascal had already met with one of the National Front’s leaders, Louis Aliot, also one of MENL’s MEPs in the European Parliament. ^[28]

Former member parties

Among the members of the European Alliance for Freedom (EAF) predecessor , the following parties did not join MENL:

• Citizens in Rage , Germany
• Order and Justice , Lithuania (joined ADDE instead)
• Sweden Democrats , Sweden (joined ADDE instead)

Structure

President

• Louis Aliot  MEP ( FN , France)

Members of the Bureau

• Marine The Pen  MEP ( FN , France)
• Lorenzo Fontana  MEP ( LN , Italy)
• Nicolas Bay  MEP ( FN , France)
• Gerolf Annemans  MEP ( VB , Belgium)

Treasurer

• Harald Vilimsky  MEP ( FPÖ , Austria)

References