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PARIS/BRUSSELS – The VVD cannot remain in the liberal Renew faction in the European Parliament if the Dutch party goes into government with Geert Wilders’ PVV, says the faction leader of Renew. Continuing to collaborate with the VVD is “an option that is not acceptable to me,” says faction leader Valérie Hayer.
Hayer already expressed her “complete disapproval and deep concern” last week about the main agreement that the VVD has closed with PVV, NSC, and BBB. She did not go as far as to show the VVD the door then. But now that the VVD is pushing through, “they do not respect our values,” says Hayer in an interview with French news channel BFM TV. The ‘cordon sanitaire’, the agreement not to collaborate with the far right, “is among the absolute values of the faction.” “My red line is clear.”
The Frenchwoman, who is engaged in a fierce electoral battle with the party of Wilders’ ally Marine Le Pen, notes that she does not alone decide on the place of the VVD in the Renew faction. She convenes a faction meeting the day after the election.
VVD lead candidate Malik Azmani insists that the VVD “belongs in the European liberal family.” He understands the concerns and wants “to discuss with all partners.”
(May 21, 2024)