Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN), has found a new path after seeing his ambitions to become Prime Minister of France fail. The RN leader has been appointed head of the “Patriots for Europe” group, a radical right-wing alliance formed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This group is now the third-largest force in the European Parliament.
Erwann Lecoeur, a sociologist and political scientist specializing in the far right, analyzes this situation: “The fact that Jordan Bardella is taking over the leadership of this group is surprising. One might think that he had a dual agenda: either Prime Minister in France or president of the group in Brussels.” Bardella thus succeeds Marine Le Pen which had failed to unify the European far-right forces.
The “Patriots for Europe” group brings together various radical right groups, including the League of Matteo Salvini in Italy, the Party for Freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, Chega in Portugal, VOX in Spain, the Danish People's Party and Vlaams Belang in Belgium. With 84 MEPs from 12 nationalities, this group positions itself firmly against illegal immigration and in favor of the traditional family, values highlighted by Jean-Paul Garraud during the announcement.
Viktor Orban, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, aims to strengthen a new respectability for far-right groups. Lecoeur underlines: “Orban represents a potential entry key to a new respectability for these groups”.
This training is in competition with that of Giorgia Meloni in Italy. While Meloni represents neo-fascist conservatism, Orban embodies a hard line against immigration and a pro-Russian stance. This grouping illustrates a strong split within the European far right.
The ambitions of this group are clearly aligned against military support for Ukraine and in favor of rapprochement with Russia, as Harald Vilimsky of the Austrian FPO discussed when referring to discussions between Orban and Vladimir Putin to “ end the war in Ukraine”.
Thus, Jordan Bardella, despite the loss of his national aspirations, skillfully repositions himself at the heart of the European scene, consolidating the place of the RN in the political landscape of the EU.
