The European Alliance for Freedom (EAF) is a pan-European political party of right-wing eurosceptics. It was founded in late 2010, the party was recognised by the European Parliament in 2011.[6] Unlike in other pan-European parties, the members of the Alliance are not national parties but individuals.
European Alliance for Freedom | |
|---|---|
| President | Franz Obermayr |
| Secretary-General | Sharon Ellul-Bonici |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Birkirkara, Malta[1] |
| Youth wing | YEAH — Young European Alliance for Hope[2] |
| Ideology | Euroscepticism Nationalism Right-wing populism |
| Political position | Right-wing[3] to Radical right[4][5] |
| Colours | Dark Blue |
| Political foundation | European Foundation for Freedom |
| Website | |
| www | |
The head office of the Alliance is in Brussels, Belgium, and its registered office is in Birkirkara, Malta. Franz Obermayr from Austria has been the president of the organisation since November 2012, succeeding founding chairman Godfrey Bloom. His vice presidents are the Fleming Philip Claeys and the French Marine Le Pen.[7] The secretary-general is Sharon Ellul-Bonici from Malta.[8]
The EAF was awarded a grant by European Parliament for 2011 of, at most, €372,753.[6] In 2012 the EP's maximal grant dropped to €360,455.[1] The party's affiliated political foundation is the European Foundation for Freedom.[9]
The role of the party was set to expand for the 2014 European elections, where it may have had the support of the French National Front, the Dutch Party for Freedom, the Flemish Vlaams Belang, the Freedom Party of Austria, the Sweden Democrats, the Slovak National Party and the Italian Lega Nord. The Danish People's Party, UK Independence Party and the Alternative for Germany refused to join the new alliance. Thus far, the Slovak National Party have failed to win a seat and the Sweden Democrats have abstained from the alliance.[10]
Radical and anti-Semitic European nationalist parties National Democratic Party of Germany, the British National Party, Greek Golden Dawn, Hungarian Jobbik and Bulgarian Атака are not permitted to join.[4][11][12][13][14][15]
Members
Austria – Andreas Mölzer,[16] Franz Obermayr,[8] Harald Vilimsky[17] (Freedom Party of Austria)
Belgium – Philip Claeys,[8] Gerolf Annemans[17] (Vlaams Belang)
France – Marine Le Pen[18][19][20] (National Front)
Italy — Matteo Salvini (Lega Nord)[17]
Malta – Sharon Ellul-Bonici (independent)
Netherlands — Geert Wilders (Party for Freedom)[17]
Former members
Germany – Torsten Groß[8] (Citizens in Rage)[16]
Hungary – Krisztina Morvai[16] (independent)†
Lithuania – Rolandas Paksas,[16] Juozas Imbrasas (Order and Justice)‡
Sweden – Kent Ekeroth[8] (Sweden Democrats)[16]
United Kingdom - Godfrey Bloom (Independent - formerly UKIP)
† Morvai is associated with Jobbik while not being a formal member. She quit in July 2011 due to differences with the FPÖ.[21]
‡ Paskas and Imbrasas later joined the Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy (MELD)
Further reading
- de Lange, Sarah L.; Rooduijn, Matthijs; van Spanje, Joost (4 February 2014), "The 'Le Pen-Wilders' alliance will change European politics", Policy Network Observatory
- Mudde, Cas (11 February 2014), "The Le Pen-Wilders alliance and the European Parliament: Plus ça change, plus la meme chose", The Washington Post
References
- ^ a b Grants from the European Parliament to political parties at European level 2004-2012 March 2012, European Parliament. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ^ Bell, Bethany (4 April 2014), Far-right youth movement seeks 'Europe of Fatherlands', BBC News — Inside Europe Blog
- ^ Template:De iconWolfgang Sablatnig (30 June 2011), "Straches FPÖ mit Jobbik und Vlaams Belang in EU-Partei", Tiroler Tageszeitung, retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ a b Waterfield, Bruno (23 October 2013), "France's FN to team up with other far Right parties for European elections", The Telegraph
- ^ de Lange, Sarah L.; Rooduijn, Matthijs; van Spanje, Joost (4 February 2014), "The 'Le Pen-Wilders' alliance will change European politics", Policy Network Observatory
- ^ a b "Grants from the European Parliament to political parties at European level 2004-2011" (PDF). European Parliament. April 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
- ^ FPÖ-Abgeordneter steht an Spitze von EU-Rechtspartei DiePresse
- ^ a b c d e About EAF, European Alliance for Freedom, retrieved 7 July 2011 Template:WebCite
- ^ About EFF European Foundation for Freedom. Retrieved 30 November 2013
- ^ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/europe/article4102623.ece
- ^ Template:De icon Lahodynsky, Otmar (9 November 2013), "EU-Wahlen: Die nationalistische Internationale unter Führung der FPÖ", Profil Online
- ^ Webb, Sara (13 November 2013), Le Pen, Wilders eye eurosceptic alliance for EU elections, Reuters
- ^ Prodhan, Georgina (14 December 2013), Austria's Freedom aims to enlarge Eurosceptic bloc, Reuters
- ^ http://www.columnist.org.uk/?p=7072&preview=true
- ^ Marine Le Pen to meet other far-right leaders in move to create EU bloc Front National leader rules out joining forces with extreme-right parties Golden Dawn, Jobbik and Ataka
- ^ a b c d e Template:De icon"Mölzer wirkt in neuer EU-Rechtsaußenpartei mit", Der Standard, 29 June 2011, retrieved 7 July 2011
- ^ a b c d "Press Conference: Aftermath of the elections, a future for the EU or a future for Europe?". European Alliance for Freedom. 28 May 2014.
- ^ Protests at Austria far-right ball as Holocaust remembered, Euronews, 28 January 2012
- ^ "Marine Le Pen: What she means for Europe", EuroNews, 21 February 2012
- ^ Marine Le Pen en Autriche, Front National, 27 January 2012
- ^ Krisztina Morvai is quitting the European Alliance for Freedom Party, Hungarian Ambiance, 26 July 2011