The Chairwoman of the Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament, Valérie Hayer, has hardened her stance on the possibility of expelling the Dutch liberal party VVD from the political family after the latter formed an alliance with the far-right PVV party on 16 May (see EUROPE 13411/15), 6 months after the general elections in the Netherlands.
Speaking on BFM TV on Tuesday 21 May, she reiterated her desire to bring together all the member parties the day after the European elections, on 10 June, in order to decide on the fate of the VVD.
Keeping the party of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte within the Renew Europe Group is an “unacceptable” option, in her view, given that “they are not respecting our values by making this alliance”.
These comments prompted a reaction via the social network X from Danish MEP Morten Løkkegaard, Vice-President of Renew Europe and Head of the delegation for the Danish liberal party Venstre, who said he was “sad to see a difficult parliamentary situation exploited for French domestic politics”. He said that his party stood by “our friends in the VVD”.
Malik Azmani, Head of the VVD delegation to Parliament and First Vice-President of Renew Europe, said he understood “the concerns of our liberal allies” and sought to reassure them that cooperation with the parties of the far-right ID Group at European level was inconceivable.
“The Dutch context is different from that of other countries. The VVD is and will remain a liberal party that belongs to the European liberal family, which it co-founded”, he stressed. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)