Six individuals have been appointed as members of an independent committee of prominent figures by European Union institutions to assess the possibility of banning the far-right Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) party and cutting its funding. This committee will begin its work on Thursday, with the task of advising the EU's political party oversight body on potential violations of European values.
Committee Composition and Challenges
The members of this committee have been selected through a combination of political agreements and pressure from various EU member states to nominate their candidates, as well as selections made by officials from the European Commission. This has raised concerns among the parties and political foundations that will be under the oversight of this committee.
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Alexander Sel, Vice President of the Europe of Nations and Freedom party, has expressed hope that the independent committee of prominent figures will act legally impartially, although individuals with clear political affiliations have been appointed to this committee. He also noted that in a true democracy, party representatives should not interfere in decisions regarding the funding of their political rivals.
History and Review Process
In July, the European Parliament approved the process for deregistering and cutting funding for the ENF party after this body reported violations including anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBT statements. The ENF party is recognized as a separate legal entity from the ENF political group in the European Parliament, which includes 27 Members of the European Parliament.
The independent committee of prominent figures will have two months to issue its opinion after receiving all documentation, and then the oversight body will make the final decision. From the Council of Europe, only two candidates were nominated from member states: Piemangro, a professor of European law, and Linus Kontrimas from Lithuania, who was nominated in 2019 for a party affiliated with European conservatives and reformists.
The Commission's secretariat has also introduced individuals such as Martin Rischerts and Alexander Italianer, who currently works as an EU affairs advisor at a law firm. Following a political agreement in the European Parliament between conservatives and social democrats, Luca Vannoni, a professor of law and religion, and Anna Paczyniak, a member of the scientific council of the European Social Democrats Foundation, were selected.
Spokespersons and officials from the three relevant bodies emphasized that all appointments were made in accordance with the law. Specifically, the law only prohibits current EU officials, commissioners, and Members of the European Parliament from being committee members. Regarding Paczyniak, the law only prohibits current or former employees of political foundations, but leaves enough room for individuals with other affiliations.
Committee members will not receive a salary for their participation, but their expenses will be reimbursed. This committee could have profound impacts on the status of the ENF party and the future of far-right political parties in Europe.
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