MEPs of the Polish Konfederacja party have announced their joining of the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, Hungarian website Mandiner quoted Eutoday as first reporting.
With the addition of Polish politicians Anna Bryłka and Tomasz Buczek Patriots for Europe now count 86 members. Following the announcement, Fidesz MEP Kinga Gál welcomed the new members on Facebook, emphasizing that the group now operates with representatives from 13 countries and 14 political parties.
On 30 June, Viktor Orbán, as leader of Fidesz, signed an agreement in Vienna with Herbert Kickl, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), and Andrej Babiš, leader of the Czech ANO party, to create the Patriots for Europe group. The group officially formed on 8 July and is now the third largest in the European Parliament.
The English-language portal Eutoday reported that this step came after weeks of negotiations and adds a new layer to the political landscape of the European Parliament. In the June European elections Konfederacja won six mandates. However, due to internal divisions, three of their MEPs—Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik, Stanisław Tyszka, and Marcin Sypniewski—joined the newly formed European Sovereign Nations group, while the remaining three initially remained independent. With Bryłka and Buczek joining Patriots for Europe, only one Konfederacja MEP remains unaffiliated with a major group. In a statement on social media, Anna Bryłka said the decision followed lengthy negotiations, stressing their goal to be part of the largest right-wing group in the current European Parliament to better represent Polish national interests.
‘We will work together with the National Rally, Vox, and Fidesz and proudly represent Poland’s national interests within the Patriots for Europe group,’ Mandiner quoted Anna Bryłka. She highlighted that joining the group allows them to more effectively advocate for their political programme in the European Parliament. Quoting the English-language portal’s article, Mandiner wrote that ‘this step highlights the growing influence of right-wing movements in the EU.’
The Eutoday article’s author believes that Viktor Orbán, long a critic of the EU’s immigration, human rights, and rule-of-law policies, continues to play a leading role in the right-wing political spectrum, and his efforts to unite right-wing forces under the Patriots for Europe group can be seen as a strategic attempt to secure a stronger voice in European politics and challenge Brussels’ influence, which these parties see as infringing on national sovereignty.
Bryłka and Buczek’s addition further strengthens Viktor Orbán’s group, which has already attracted Europe’s most significant right-wing leaders, and with representatives from several countries, Patriots for Europe now represents a considerable force capable of challenging the traditionally dominant centre-right and centre-left factions in the European Parliament.
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