The votes were scrutinized. Tuesday July 16, MEPs elected the 14 vice-presidents of the European Parliament. Highly symbolic positions. But even if the extreme right is on the rise in the European Parliament, the sanitary cordon seems to have held: “Les Patriotes pour l’Europe”, the new group led by Jordan Bardella and “The Europe of Sovereign Nations” where the AFD, the German far right, are in vain. Note all the same, the ECR group of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni obtains two positions.
“In the European Parliament, the notion of a cordon santé around the far right dates from the 1980s,” recalls Thierry Chopin, special advisor to the Jacques Delors Institute. “At the time, there was a common desire among moderate political forces to boycott these MEPs who made revisionist, anti-Semitic and homophobic comments, such as those made by Jean-Marie Le Pen. »
Since this period, far-right forces have been banned from accessing positions of responsibility, even if some are more symbolic than political. A cord which held once again on Tuesday. Among the 14 new vice-presidents, none for The Europe of Sovereign Nations, nor for the new group of Patriots driven by the Hungarian Viktor Orban and chaired by Jordan Bardella. However, Fabrice Leggeri, the former boss of Frontex, had high hopes for his candidacy. The symbol is above all political: “If these parties had obtained these positions, it would have worked in favor of their normalization strategy, promoting a sort of “respectability” underlines Thierry Chopin.
Quentin Ariès, the editor-in-chief of Sphera Network, provides another explanation: “There is certainly the sanitary cordon, but there is also the fact that these political groups do not work in Parliament. It’s even a strategy on their part. In these conditions, it is difficult to give them a vice-presidency or a Commission presidency. Working on a text takes two years on average and you have to be there every day, you have to negotiate constantly. Impossible to be absent when you want responsibilities. »
A sanitary cordon with variable geometry
There is still one detail that will not have escaped anyone, the ECR group (the Reformist Conservatives) obtained two positions of vice-presidents (one more than during the previous mandate): the Latvian Roberts Zīle and the Italian Antonella Sberna. However, it is in this group that Brothers of Italy sits, the Italian far-right political party, led by Giorgia Meloni. The sanitary cordon would therefore have variable geometry.
“There is a Meloni problem, particularly on social or societal issues, it’s true,” explains Quentin Ariès. But she also showed that she could vote for texts that were complicated for her, such as the Migration Pact. » “The moderate parties and in particular the EPP consider that they can work with the conservative and radical right even if it comes from the extreme right as long as the ambitions are common, particularly in terms of environmental policy,” adds Thierry Chopin. » Indeed the EPP (the moderate right) and ECR voted together against the text on the restoration of nature and against the reduction of pesticides. “In fact, we leave the sanitary cordon when we show that we keep our commitments in terms of voting. »
New majorities
Common votes will be needed during the next term. The classic coalition of moderate right, socialists and liberals has lost MPs and influence. “Given the weakening of the “grand coalition” and the shift in balance towards the right underlines Thierry Chopin, majorities on the most controversial nominations and files will be more difficult to achieve, which will introduce greater unpredictability and greater uncertainty. This will require stronger cohesion of political groups or occasional support from MEPs located outside the “coalition”, such as the Greens or ECR. »
“In Italy, Sweden and Finland, the right already governs with members of ECR,” says Quentin Ariès, “doing it also in Parliament justifies their coalition. »
In the European Parliament, there is no fixed coalition: they change depending on the texts or subjects. Over the next five years, the right could therefore rely on the reformist Conservatives for votes on economic issues or on migration policy, when it will rely more on the socialists for societal issues.
Next week, other key positions will be at stake: committee chairs and vice-chairs. It is likely that the ECR group will obtain new positions, such as pledges.
“But there is little chance that the Polish PIS, which nevertheless belongs to ECR, will obtain anything,” explains Quentin Ariès. In Poland they were in power until last fall, they weakened the justice system, they violently opposed Donald Tusk of the EPP who returned to power. It seems unlikely to me that he will accept a coalition with them in the European Parliament. » The PIS therefore remains within the cordon santé.
Now that these new balances are in place, they must be tested. Tomorrow, Thursday June 18, Parliament must vote for or against the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission. It remains to be seen whether the EPP candidate will have the votes of Giorgia Meloni’s reformist Conservatives.
This article is originally published on publicsenat.fr
