Euroscepticism,also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism,is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek reform,to those who oppose EU membership and see the EU as unreformable. The opposite of Euroscepticism is known as pro-Europeanism.
Lega Nord,whose complete name is Lega Nord per l'Indipendenza della Padania,is a right-wing,federalist,populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election,the party was rebranded as Lega,without changing its official name. The party was nonetheless frequently referred to only as "Lega" even before the rebranding,and informally as the Carroccio. The party's latest elected leader was Matteo Salvini.
The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union,using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for,but elected national parties aggregated in European Parliamental parties after the elections.
Independence/Democracy (IND/DEM) was a Eurosceptic political group that operated in the European Parliament between 2004 and 2009. At its height in 2004,it had 37 MEPs and it only existed during the European Parliament's 6th term. It was affiliated with the Eurosceptic Europeans United for Democracy party.
Italy of Values is a populist and anti-corruption political party in Italy. The party was founded in 1998 by former Mani pulite prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro,who entered politics in 1996 and finally left the party in 2014. IdV has aimed at gathering and giving voice to different sectors of the Italian society. From the beginning of its existence one of its major issues has been the so-called "moral issue". In the early 2010s,IdV was eclipsed by the new-born Five Star Movement,founded by comedian Beppe Grillo,which used the same populist and anti-corruption rhetoric.
The political groups of the European Parliament are the officially recognised parliamentary groups consisting of legislators of aligned ideologies in the European Parliament.
Matteo Salvini is an Italian politician who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega party since December 2013 and an Italian senator since March 2018. Salvini represented Northwestern Italy in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2018.
European nationalism is a form of pan-nationalism based on a pan-European identity. It is considered minor since the National Party of Europe disintegrated in the 1970s.
Right-wing populism,also called national populism and right populism,is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments,opposition to the Establishment,and speaking to or for the common people. Recurring themes of right-wing populists include neo-nationalism,social conservatism,economic nationalism,and fiscal conservatism. Frequently,they aim to defend a national culture,identity,and economy against perceived attacks by outsiders. Right-wing populism has associations with authoritarianism,while some far-right populists draw comparisons to fascism.
The European Conservatives and Reformists Group is a soft Eurosceptic,anti-federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party European political party,but also includes MEPs from other European parties and MEPs without European party affiliation.
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria,variously described as far-right,right-wing populist,national-conservative,eurosceptic and russophile. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five parties in the National Council,with 57 of the 183 seats,and won 28.85% of votes cast in the 2024 election and it is represented in all nine state legislatures. On a European level,the FPÖis a founding member of the Patriots.eu and its six MEPs sit with the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group following the dissolution of its predecessor,Identity and Democracy (ID).
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party,formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe,is a conservative,soft Eurosceptic European political party with a main focus on reforming the European Union (EU) on the basis of Eurorealism,as opposed to total rejection of the EU (anti-EU-ism).
Alternative for Germany is a far-right and right-wing populist political party in Germany. The AfD is Eurosceptic,and opposes immigration into Germany,especially Muslim immigration. The German judiciary has classified the party as a "suspected extremist" party.
The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 23 and 26 May 2019. It was the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent more than 512 million people from 28 member states. In February 2018,the European Parliament had voted to decrease the number of MEPs from 751 to 705 if the United Kingdom were to withdraw from the European Union on 29 March 2019. However,the United Kingdom participated alongside other EU member states after an extension of Article 50 to 31 October 2019;therefore,the allocation of seats between the member states and the total number of seats remained as it had been in 2014.
Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy was a Eurosceptic and populist political group in the European Parliament. The EFDD group was a continuation for the Eighth European Parliament of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group that existed during the Seventh European Parliament,with significant changes to group membership.
Patriots.eu,formerly known as the Identity and Democracy Party and the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom (MENF),is a nationalist,right-wing populist and Eurosceptic European political party founded in 2014. Its Members of the European Parliament sat in the Europe of Nations and Freedom group from 2015 to 2019,then in the Identity and Democracy group between 2019 and 2024;following the 2024 European Parliament election,most of its MEPs sit within the Patriots for Europe group.
Europe of Nations and Freedom was a far-right political group that operated in the European Parliament between 2015 and 2019. It was composed of 37 MEPs and only existed during the European Parliament's 8th term. Most of its MPs were members of the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom political party.
Marco Dreosto is an Italian politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2 July 2019 elected with the Salvini Premier Lega party in the north-eastern constituency following the 2019 European elections where he got 23,179 votes
Identity and Democracy was a far-right political group of the European Parliament,launched on 13 June 2019 for the Ninth European Parliament term. It comprised far right,right-wing populist,Eurosceptic and nationalist national parties from six European states. It was the successor to the Europe of Nations and Freedom group formed during the eighth term and almost all of its members merged into the Patriots for Europe group formed during the tenth term.
The 2024 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 6 and 9 June 2024. It was the tenth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979,and the first European Parliament election after Brexit. A total of 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent more than 450 million people from 27 member states. This election also coincided with a number of other elections in some European Union member states.
