Far-right MEPs have managed to club together in the European Parliament, getting enough members to form a political group entitling them to EU funds.
The group was created on Tuesday (9 January) and managed to get just the threshold number of deputies needed under EU rules – 20 MEPs from six different member states.
The diverse group which houses politicians from Romania’s anti-Roma xenophobic Greater Romania Party, through to France’s and Belgium’s anti-immigrant National Front and Vlaams Belang.
The group also includes Andrew Mölzer (an Austrian MEP kicked out of a far-right party in Austria for being too extremist)), Dimitar Stoyanov (a Bulgarian MEP who caused a ruckus in the parliament last year when he circulated a derogatory email about Roma people) and two Italian MEPs Luca Romagnoli and Alessandra Mussolini (granddaughter of Benito).
The group is to be headed by Bruno Gollnisch, a member of the National Front, and is to be called “Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty.”
Having hammered out a political charter upon which they can agree – broadly anti-immigration, anti-EU constitution and anti-Turkish EU membership – the text will now be sent to European Parliament president Josep Borell.
One of Mr Borrell’s last duties – he is due to step down next week – may be to formally announce the formation of the group in the upcoming Strasbourg plenary, a parliament contact said.