“The EPP is leading the fight against the anti-Europeans, as shown for example by the election results of (Polish Prime Minister) Donald Tusk or the EPP’s joining the opposition (Orbán). We have clearly defined our red lines,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “There will be no cooperation with radicals who reject or violate any of our three fundamental principles: pro-Ukraine, pro-Europe and pro-rule of law. This applies to parties of the right as well as the left. We follow our political and programmatic beliefs.

Weber, however, faced pressure from both sides of the political spectrum.

“The EPP must make a decision: does it want to abandon the sanitary cordonand will they cooperate fully? asked MP Auke Zijlstra of the Dutch Party for Freedom, part of the far-right Patriots group.

Bas Eickhout, Dutch MEP and co-president of the Greens, said: “This idea of ​​the EPP, that we can lean to the left when necessary and to the right when necessary, will fall apart when it will act on legislative work. .”

The EPP’s recent alternative to its so-called von der Leyen majority owes its name to a resolution passed by Parliament in September, when the EPP first sided with the far-right Patriots ECR party for Europe and far-right sovereignists – mainly comprising lawmakers from Alternative for Germany – to adopt a non-binding political declaration recognizing Edmundo González as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

González, the candidate for the United Platform alliance against Nicolás Maduro in that country’s July presidential elections, was recognized by the United States and some South American countries as Venezuela’s legitimate president amid alleged irregularities that would have resulted in a declared victory for Maduro. However, no EU country has yet officially recognized it.

Parliament’s September resolution on González echoed a broader movement to the right – and the far right – across Europe. France, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic are all EU countries where the far right is in government or leading in polls. The toughening of migration policy, defense and competitiveness – all areas of focus for the center right – are now themes which dominate the political debate in Brussels.