European Alliance for Freedom

2014 European Parliament election

Ahead of the 2014 European Parliament election, it was suggested that EAF members might form a parliamentary group of their own after the elections. The group was reported to have the support of the French National Front (FN), the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), the Flemish Vlaams Belang (VB), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), the Sweden Democrats (SD), the Slovak National Party and the Italian Northern League (LN). The Danish People's Party, UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the Alternative for Germany refused to join the new alliance, while the more radical and anti-Semitic European nationalist parties such as National Democratic Party of Germany, the British National Party, Greek Golden Dawn and Hungarian Jobbik were not permitted to. Some media reports referred to the proposed group as the "Le Pen–Wilders alliance". In the election, the French FN performed very strongly, winning 24 seats, while the Slovak National Party failed to win a seat and the Sweden Democrats abstained from the alliance (instead joining Europe of Freedom and Democracy), leaving the FN, PVV, LN, FPÖ and VB as the only EAF member parties.

On 28 May, three days after the end of the elections, Le Pen, Wilders, Matteo Salvini (LN), Harald Vilimsky (FPÖ) and Gerolf Annemans (VB) appeared at a press conference in Brussels, claiming to be confident to find enough allies for forming a new group soon. News media reported about a competition between the proposed EAF group led by Le Pen and the existing Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group led by Nigel Farage of UKIP, both trying to win over support from newly represented Eurosceptic, right-wing and populist parties from different countries. While the FN and Wilders preferred to form one large group, including UKIP, the British Eurosceptics decidedly rejected the idea, branding Le Pen's party as too extreme. Eventually, with MEPs from only five different member states, the proposed EAF group fell short of the parliament's requirement of seven member states to be represented in each group. Instead, their MEPs have continued to sit as Non-Inscrits.

Structure

President

• 2010–2012 – Godfrey Bloom (UK)
• 2012–present – Franz Obermayr (Austria)

Vice president

• 2010–present – Philip Claeys (Belgium); Marine Le Pen (France)

Secretary General

• 2010–present – Sharon Ellul-Bonici (Malta)

Former members

Former members of the European Parliament

• Austria – Georg Mayer (FPÖ)3,
• Austria – Andreas Mölzer (FPÖ),
• Austria – Harald Vilimsky, (FPÖ)
• Belgium – Gerolf Annemans (MEP) (Vlaams Belang)
• Bulgaria – Dimitar Stoyanov (MEP, NDP, formerly Attack)
• France – Jean-Marie Le Pen (National Front)
• France – Marine Le Pen (National Front)3
• – Janusz Korwin-Mikke (MEP)
• – Robert Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz (MEP)
• – Michał Marusik (MEP)
• – Stanisław Żółtek (MEP)
• – Godfrey Bloom (MEP, Independent, formerly UKIP)
• – Jane Collins (MEP, UKIP)
• – Mike Hookem (MEP, UKIP)

Former board members and other members

• – Martin Lank (Dawn – National Coalition)
• Germany – Torsten Groß (Citizens in Rage)
• – Jan Timke (Citizens in Rage)
• Hungary – Krisztina Morvai (Independent, associated with Jobbik)
• – Serzants Karlis (Union of Greens and Farmers, Member of Saeima)
• Lithuania – Rolandas Paksas, Juozas Imbrasas (Order and Justice)2
• – Anthony Agius Decelis (Labour Party)
• – Sharon Ellul-Bonici
• – Przemysław Wipler
• – Kent Ekeroth (Sweden Democrats)

1 Morvai is associated with Jobbik while not being a formal member. She quit in July 2011, citing differences with the FPÖ.

2 Paksas and Imbrasas later joined the Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy (MELD)

3 Left to form Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom (MENL)

References

References

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2. Wolfgang Sablatnig. (30 June 2011). "Straches FPÖ mit Jobbik und Vlaams Belang in EU-Partei". Tiroler Tageszeitung.
3. (2014). "How the EU Really Works". Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
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6. (April 2011). "Grants from the European Parliament to political parties at European level 2004-2011". European Parliament.
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8. "About EAF". European Alliance for Freedom.
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10. [http://www.eurfreedom.org/content/about-eff About EFF] {{Webarchive. link. (3 December 2013 European Foundation for Freedom. Retrieved 30 November 2013)
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12. (13 November 2013). "Le Pen, Wilders eye eurosceptic alliance for EU elections". Reuters.
13. Prodhan, Georgina. (14 December 2013). "Austria's Freedom aims to enlarge Eurosceptic bloc". Reuters.
14. "The Anti Islamist Danish People's Party has surged above 20% | the Columnist".
15. Mudde. (11 February 2014). "The Le Pen-Wilders alliance and the European Parliament". The Washington Post.
16. (28 May 2014). "Future of Le Pen-Wilders alliance still uncertain". EurActiv.com.
17. Charles Bremner. (29 May 2014). "Le Pen party steals Farage's Italian allies". [[The Times]].
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19. (29 May 2014). "Le Pen and Farage battle for partners to form group". Euractiv.com.
20. Tony Cross. (29 May 2014). "Ukip's Farage, Front National's Le Pen compete for Eurosceptic leadership … and EU cash". RFI English.
21. Ophélie Spanneut. (9 May 2014). ["Le Pen and Farage competing to form groups"](http://europolitics.info/sites/default/files/pdf/eure4864_09052014_saiuztrdfu.pdf }}{{Dead link). Europolitics.
22. (24 June 2014). "Le Pen and Wilders fail to form anti-EU bloc". BBC News.
23. (24 June 2014). "Marine Le Pen fails to form far-right bloc in European parliament". The Guardian.
24. Umberto Bacchi. (24 June 2014). "Le Pen's Far-Right EU Parliament Alliance Fails at Start". International Business Times.
25. "[https://diepresse.com/home/ausland/eu/1310492/FPOeAbgeordneter-steht-an-Spitze-von-EURechtspartei?_vl_backlink=/home/politik/eu/index.do FPÖ MP is now the head of a EU legal party"], Die Presse. (8 November 2012)
26. "Die Flüchtlings -katastrophe auf dem Mittelmeer löst in Europa tiefe Erschütterung aus {{!}} European Alliance for Freedom".
27. (29 June 2011). "Mölzer wirkt in neuer EU-Rechtsaußenpartei mit". [[Der Standard]].
28. (28 May 2014). "Press Conference: Aftermath of the elections, a future for the EU or a future for Europe?". European Alliance for Freedom.
29. [https://www.thelocal.fr/20180407/frances-jean-marie-le-pen-joins-european-far-right-alliance France's Jean-Marie Le Pen joins European far-right alliance]
30. (28 January 2012). "Protests at Austria far-right ball as Holocaust remembered". Euronews.
31. (21 February 2012). "Marine Le Pen: What she means for Europe". EuroNews.
32. [http://www.frontnational.com/2012/01/marine-le-pen-en-autriche/ Marine Le Pen en Autriche] {{Webarchive. link. (10 November 2017 , Front National, 27 January 2012)
33. "Archived copy".
34. (31 January 2017). "list of representatives of European Political Parties – a Freedom of Information request to European Parliament".
35. (31 January 2017). "list of representatives of European Political Parties – a Freedom of Information request to European Parliament".
36. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120326175304/http://www.eurallfree.org/?q=node/65 About EAF]
37. [http://www.hungarianambiance.com/2011/07/krisztina-morvai-is-quitting-european.html Krisztina Morvai is quitting the European Alliance for Freedom Party] {{Webarchive. link. (29 December 2014 , Hungarian Ambiance, 26 July 2011)