23/10/2013 (Agence Europe): Marine Le Pen hoping to set up political group. On Wednesday 23 October, Marine Le Pen MEP (non-attached), the leader of the French political party, the Front national, informed the press that she hoped “to set up a political group at the European Parliament” and, for this purpose, would bring together at least 25 other MEPs (Ed: seven from different national political parties). For her, it is about responding to the need to “rediscover the sovereignty of our countries”, she said. She also criticised “this European Union, which sought to impose its diktats against the wishes of the European people”. In an effort to set up this group, she said that she was increasing the number of meetings made within the nationalist European Alliance for Liberty, with Swedish far-right MEPs (whom she met last weekend), Belgian far-right MEPs from Vlaams Belang and a forthcoming meeting with Geert Wilders from the Netherlands (Freedom Party). She has distanced herself from the Greek Golden Dawn party. She indicated that her initiative has received no response from British Eurosceptic MPs in UKIP or among Catalan separatists. (MD/transl.fl)