Wilders and Le Pen fail to finalise Brussels parliamentary alliance

Dutch anti-immigration party PVV and France’s right-wing Front National have failed in their efforts to form a group with other parties within the European parliament, Nos television says on Tuesday.

The broadcaster says Wilders said he has not managed to find five more parties to join his and Marine Le Pen’s alliance but that he hopes this will be possible later this year.

Three parties have agreed to join the PVV and Front National: Belgium’s Vlaams Belang,  Austria’s FPÖ and the Italian Lega Nord.

Poland’s KNP

‘The PVV will not form a grouping at any price,’ Wilders said. ‘Working together with Mr Korwin- Mikke from Poland’s KNP was a bridge too far.’ Last week, Trouw reported the KNP had come on board despite Korwin-Mikke’s views on gay marriage and votes for women.

However, Nos Brussels reporter Gwen ter Horst said a different story was doing the rounds in EU circles. She said reports indicate the Polish group had eventually pulled out of the talks. ‘They could not forget the “problem with Poles” hotline which the PVV set up,’ she said.

British Eurosceptic party UKip has managed to set up a Eurosceptic alliance in Brussels. UKip refused to work with the Front National because of anti-semitic statements made by some of its members, including founder and MEP Jean-Marie le Pen.

Without a formal alliance, which required seven different parties, the PVV and Front National will only have limited influence on EU debates and will not qualify for extra funding.

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