European Free Alliance

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European Free Alliance

The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a

minority[3] political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region.[5] The party has generally limited its membership to centre-left and left-wing parties;[6][7]
therefore, only a fraction of European regionalist parties are members of the EFA.

Since 1999, the EFA and the European Green Party (EGP) have joined forces within Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) group in the European Parliament, although some EFA members have joined other groups from time to time.

The EFA's youth wing is the European Free Alliance Youth (EFAY), founded in 2000.

As of 2024, four European regions are led by EFA politicians: Scotland with Humza Yousaf of the Scottish National Party, Flanders with Jan Jambon of the New Flemish Alliance, Corsica with Gilles Simeoni of For Corsica, and Catalonia with Pere Aragonès of the Republican Left of Catalonia.

History

Regionalists have long been represented in the

European People's Party group.[8]

In 1981, six parties (VU, the

European People's Party group; the CDC with the Liberal Democrats; and Herri Batasuna among Non-Inscrits.[11]

Only after the

Rainbow like its green predecessor. It consisted of three Italian MEPs (two for Lega Lombarda and one for the PSd'Az), two Spanish MEPs (one each for the PNV and the Andalusian Party, PA), one Belgian MEP (for VU), one French MEP (UPC), one British MEP (SNP) and one independent MEP from Ireland. They were joined by 4 MEPs from the Danish left-wing Eurosceptic People's Movement against the EU, while the other regionalist parties, including the SVP, Batasuna and the Convergence and Union of Catalonia (CiU) declined to join.[12]

In the 1994 European Parliament election, the regionalists lost many seats. Moreover, the EFA had suspended its major affiliate, Lega Nord, for having joined forces in government with the post-fascist National Alliance. Also, the PNV chose to switch to the European People's Party (EPP). The three remaining EFA MEPs (representing the SNP, the VU and the Canarian Coalition) formed a group with the French Énergie Radicale list and the Italian Pannella List: the European Radical Alliance.[13]

Following the 1999 European Parliament election, in which EFA parties did quite well, EFA elected MEPs formed a joint group with the European Green Party, under the name Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA). In the event the EFA supplied ten members: two each from the Scottish SNP, the Welsh Plaid Cymru, and the Flemish VU, and one each from the Basque PNV and EA, the Andalusian PA and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG).[14]

In the 2004 European Parliament election, the EFA, which had formally become a European political party,[15] was reduced to four MEPs: two from the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one from Plaid Cymru (Jill Evans) and one from the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC; Bernat Joan i Marí, replaced at the mid-term by MEP Mikel Irujo of the Basque EA). They were joined by two associate members: Tatjana Ždanoka of For Human Rights in United Latvia (PCTVL) and László Tőkés, an independent MEP and former member of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UMDR). Co-operation between the EFA and the Greens continued.

Following the 2008 revision of the EU Regulation that governs European political parties allowing the creation of

European foundations affiliated to European political parties, the EFA established its official foundation/think tank, the Coppieters Foundation (CF), in September 2007.[16]

In the 2009 European Parliament election, six MEPs were returned for the EFA: two from the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one from Plaid Cymru (Jill Evans), one from the Party of the Corsican Nation (PNC; François Alfonsi), one from the ERC (Oriol Junqueras), and Tatjana Ždanoka, an individual member of the EFA from Latvia. After the election, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) also joined the EFA. The EFA subgroup thus counted seven MEPs.[17]

In the

European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) group. Thus, EFA had seven members in the Greens/EFA group and four within ECR.[21]

In the 2019 European Parliament election the EFA gained a fourth seat in the United Kingdom, due to the SNP gaining a third seat to add to Plaid's one. However, the EFA suffered the loss of these seats in January 2020 due to Brexit, which meant SNP and PC MEPs had to leave.

Ideology

In the Brussels declaration of 2000, the EFA codified its political principles. The EFA stands for "a Europe of Free Peoples based on the principle of subsidiarity, which believe in solidarity with each other and the peoples of the world."[22] The EFA sees itself as an alliance of stateless peoples, striving towards recognition, autonomy, independence or wanting a proper voice in Europe. It supports European integration on basis of the subsidiarity-principle. It believes also that Europe should move away from further centralisation and works towards the formation of a "Europe of regions". It believes that regions should have more power in Europe, for instance participating in the Council of the European Union, when matters within their competence are discussed. It also wants to protect the linguistic and cultural diversity within the EU.

The EFA broadly stands on the left wing of the political spectrum.[23][24] EFA members are generally progressive, although there are some notable exceptions as the conservative New Flemish Alliance, Bavaria Party, Democratic Party of Artsakh, Schleswig Party and Future of Åland, the Christian-democratic Slovene Union and the far right[25][26][27][28][29][30] South Tyrolean Freedom.

Organisation

The main organs of the EFA organisation are the General Assembly, the Bureau and the Secretariat.

General Assembly

In the General Assembly, the supreme council of the EFA, every member party has one vote.

Bureau and Secretariat

The Bureau takes care of daily affairs. It is chaired by Lorena Lopez de Lacalle (Basque Solidarity), president of the EFA, while Jordi Solé (Republican Left of Catalonia) is secretary-general and Anke Spoorendonk (South Schleswig Voters' Association) vice-president and treasurer.[31]

The Bureau is completed by other twelve vice-presidents: Peggy Eriksson (Future of Åland), Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru), Fernando Fuente Cortina (More—Commitment), David Grosclaude (Occitan Party), Wouter Patho (New Flemish Alliance), Frank de Boer (Frisian National Party), Patrik Peroša (The Olive Tree – Slovene Istria Party), Livia Ceccaldi-Volpei (Femu à Corsica), Zsolt Szilágyi (Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania), Ana Miranda (Galician Nationalist Bloc), Roberto Visentin (Pact for Autonomy) and Lorena López Sánchez (New Canaries).[31]

Members

Before becoming a member party, an organisation needs to have been an observer of the EFA for at least one year. Only one member party per region is allowed. If a second party from a region wants to join the EFA, the first party needs to agree, at which point these two parties will then form a common delegation with one vote. The EFA also recognises friends of the EFA, a special status for regionalist parties outside of the European Union.[22]

The following is the list of EFA members and former members.[32]

Full member parties

Country Party Region / Constituency MPs MEPs
 Albania Macedonian Alliance for European Integration[33]
Ethnic Macedonians
 – –
 Azerbaijan Democratic Party of Artsakh[34][35]  Republic of Artsakh / Armenia Ethnic Armenians
2 / 33
(Artsakh dissolved)		 Not in the EU
 Austria Unity List Slovenia Ethnic Slovenes – –
 Belgium New Flemish Alliance  Flanders
25 / 150
3 / 21
 Bulgaria United Macedonian Organization Ilinden–Pirin North Macedonia Ethnic Macedonians – –
 Czech Republic Moravian Land Movement Moravia – –
 Denmark Schleswig Party
Ethnic Germans
 – –
 Finland Future of Åland  Åland – –
 France Breton Democratic Union  Brittany –
1 / 79
Catalan Unity Catalan Countries – –
Let's Make Corsica  Corsica
2 / 577
1 / 79
Occitan Party  Occitania – –
Our Land  Alsace – –
Party of the Corsican Nation  Corsica
1 / 577
 –
Savoy Region Movement Savoy Savoy – –
 Germany Bavaria Party  Bavaria – –
South Schleswig Voters' Association Denmark Ethnic Danes / Frisians
1 / 736
 –
 Greece Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace Turkey Ethnic Turks – –
 Italy Pact for Autonomy Friuli-Venezia Giulia – –
South Tyrolean Freedom  South Tyrol – –
Valdostan Union[a]  Aosta Valley
1 / 400
 –
Free Sicilians  Sicily – –
 Netherlands Frisian National Party
Friesland
 – –
 Romania Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania Hungary Ethnic Hungarians – –
 Serbia League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina[36]  Vojvodina / Hungary Ethnic Hungarians – Not in the EU
 Slovenia The Olive Tree – Slovene Istria Party Slovene Istria – –
 Spain Andalusia by Herself  Andalusia – –
Aragonese State Aragon – –
Basque Solidarity Basque Country – –
Galician Nationalist Bloc  Galicia
1 / 350
1 / 54
More for Menorca  Menorca – –
New Canaries  Canary Islands – –
Republican Left of Catalonia  Catalonia / Catalan Countries
13 / 350
2 / 54
Socialist Party of Majorca  Balearic Islands / Catalan Countries – –
More–Commitment  Valencian Community
1 / 350
 –
 United Kingdom Mebyon Kernow  Cornwall – Not in the EU
Plaid Cymru  Wales
3 / 650
 Not in the EU
Scottish National Party  Scotland
44 / 650
 Not in the EU
Yorkshire Party[37]  Yorkshire – Not in the EU
  1. ^ Expelled in 2007 after lack of activity in EFA structures, rejoined at the 2022 congress

Individual members

Country MEPs Party
 Germany Manuela Ripa Ecological Democratic Party
 France François Alfonsi Régions et Peuples Solidaires (Party of the Corsican Nation, Femu a Corsica)
 Italy Piernicola Pedicini August 24th Movement

Former member parties

Country Party Region / Constituency Notes
 Belgium Party of German-speaking Belgians German Community Merged into ProDG in 2008
People's Union  Flanders Split into the New Flemish Alliance and Spirit
Pro German-speaking Community German Community No longer a member since 2018
Social Liberal Party  Flanders Dissolved in 2009
Walloon Popular Rally  Wallonia Dissolved as party in 2011
 Croatia List for Rijeka Rijeka No longer a member since 2023
 Czech Republic Moravané Moravia No longer a member since 2018
 France Alsace-Lorraine National Association  Alsace /  Lorraine Dissolved
Savoyan League Savoy Savoy Dissolved in 2012
Party for the Organization of a Free Brittany  Brittany Dissolved in 2000
Union of the Corsican People  Corsica Merged into the PNC in 2002
 Germany
The Frisians
 Frisians / East Frisia No longer a member since 2018
Lusatian Alliance Lusatia / Sorbs No longer a member since 2023
 Greece Rainbow North Macedonia Ethnic Macedonians No longer a member since 2023
 Hungary Renewed Roma Union Party of Hungary [hu] Romani people Dissolved in 2012
 Ireland Independent Fianna Fáil Ireland United Ireland Dissolved in 2006
 Italy Autonomy Liberty Participation Ecology  Aosta Valley Merged into Valdostan Alliance in 2019
Citizens' Union for South Tyrol  South Tyrol Expelled in 2008 for opposition to the Bilbao declaration
Emilian Free Alliance
Emilia
 Dissolved in 2010
Friulian Homeland Friuli No longer a member after 2022 congress
Lombard League Lombardy Joined Lega Nord in 1991
Movement for the Independence of Sicily  Sicily No longer a member after 2022 congress
Northern League  Padania Suspended in 1994, left in 1996 and joined ELDR
Pro Lombardy Independence Lombardy No longer a member after 2022 congress
Sardinian Action Party  Sardinia Expelled in 2020 for allying with the Lega Nord
Slovene Union Slovenia Ethnic Slovenes No longer a member since 2023
The Other South Italy Southern Italy No longer a member after 2022 congress
Tuscany Freedom Committee Tuscany Tuscany – No longer a member in 2024
Valdostan Alliance  Aosta Valley – No longer a member in 2024
Venetian League  Veneto Joined Lega Nord in 1991
Venetian Republic League  Veneto No longer a member after 2022 congress
 Latvia Latvian Russian Union Ethnic Russians No longer a member since 2022
 Lithuania Lithuanian Polish People's Party [lt] Poland Ethnic Poles Dissolved in 2010
 Poland Kashubian Association[36]  Kashubia / Kashubians No longer a member since 2023
Silesian Autonomy Movement Upper Silesia / Silesians[38] No longer a member since 2023
 Romania Transylvania–Banat League Transylvania (incl. Banat) Dissolved
 Slovakia Hungarian Christian Democratic Association [hu] Hungary Ethnic Hungarians No longer a member since 2023
Hungarian Federalist Party Hungary Ethnic Hungarians Banned in 2005[39] [dead link]
 Spain Andalusian Party  Andalusia Dissolved in 2015
Aragonese Union  Aragon No longer a member since 2018
Aralar Party Basque Country Dissolved in 2017
Basque Nationalist Party Basque Country Left in 2004 and joined the EDP
Canarian Coalition  Canary Islands Left in 1999 and joined the ELDR Group
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia  Catalonia / Catalan Countries Joined the LDR Group in 1987

See also

References

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  21. ^ "Up-to-date list of the MEPs for the new legislative period". Retrieved 26 August 2015.
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  27. ^ "I separati dell'Alto Adige". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
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  33. ^ "Стерјовски се сретна со претседателката на ЕФА, Лорена Лопез де Лакал" (in Macedonian). 9 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
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  39. ^ "EFA PARTY IN SLOVAK REPUBLIC BANNED". Retrieved 26 August 2015.

External links

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