Europe of Sovereign Nations promises to be more radical than the Patriots.
Centrist and left-wing political groups are expected to impose a cordon sanitaire on both new groups, blocking their members from holding any influential positions in the next five years. The so-called Sovereignists will be the Parliament’s smallest grouping, with a very limited ability to influence legislation. However, one of the group leaders will be entitled to attend the powerful Conference of Presidents meetings, which set the Parliament’s agenda and handle its internal affairs.
The AfD found itself in the political no-man’s land when it was excluded from the ID group ahead of the EU election, following a scandal surrounding Maximilian Krah’s comments about the Nazi era.
AfD MEP Christine Anderson, who was chosen to be the group’s chief whip, told reporters outside the group’s founding meeting on Wednesday in Brussels that it went “extremely well.”
The group’s co-presidents are René Aust from AfD and Stanisław Tyszka from Poland’s Confederation.
The AfD’s controversial lead candidate for the EU election, Krah, is not part of the new group, and remains a non-attached member. Krah reacted with delight to the group’s creation, saying it was the culmination of a project he had long worked on. He said he was “without any resentment” about not being included.
