Those on the left of the political spectrum will be watching the ECR’s increase in size with apprehension. For months, socialists, Greens and liberals have been warning the EPP not to formally engage with the ECR when it comes to finding a coalition in the new Parliament. But the size of their group will make them an enticing prospect for the EPP on key votes.
The ECR was last the third-biggest group in Parliament after the 2014 EU election when the British Conservatives swelled its ranks.
The Parliament’s seven political groups are in a state of flux after the June election, with all of them vying to swell their ranks and thus increase their influence by attracting new members.
Sandro Gozi, a leading MEP in Renew, downplayed the prospect that the ECR eclipsing Renew could fundamentally change the power balance in the EU.
“I think that the will of creating a new pro-European majority among European People’s Party, Social Democrats and Renew, is very clear,” he said.
A Renew spokesperson declined to comment.
