Right-Wing Patriots Group Becomes 3rd-Largest In EP

A new political grouping, the right-wing 'Patriots for Europe' has come together for the first time on 8 July, and in doing so has become the third-largest in the European Parliament. France's Rassemblement National (National Rally, RN), fresh off the back of a disappointing result in the French legislative election, has joined the Patriots group as its largest party. Alongside Hungarian PM Viktor Orbans' Fidesz, Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini's League and others largely from the now-defunct Identity and Democracy group. RN President Jordan Bardella, until the evening of 7 July seen as the potential next French PM, becomes leader of the Patriots group.

• The Patriots group is composed of 84 MEPs. It has overtaken Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's conservative European Conservatives and Reformists Group (78) and the centrist liberal Renew Europe (77).
• The size of the group will mean that it is able to gain more senior committee positions within the EP for the upcoming parliamentary term. However, the cordon sanitaire around the group means that moderate groups will be unwilling to work with its member parties.
• On 18 July the EP will vote on the Council's nomination of Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as Commission president. This is not assured, with the backing of MEPs from the EPP, S&D, RE and Greens likely to be required to cross the majority threshold given that group discipline is relatively weak, and many S&D MEPs are likely to vote against or abstain on the vote.