So far only a few parties have joined “The Movement” promoted by Steve Bannon. The foundation, which wants to unite right-wing parties in the EU, expects “10 to 15” affiliations soon. Euranet Plus talked to Bannon’s ‘go-to’ person in Europe and asked about the political agenda of this private foundation.
Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, a few months ago unveiled his plans to promote an EU-wide campaign to unite right-wing populist parties across Europe, ahead of the May 2019 European elections.
Yet, the so-called ‘Movement’ was actually set up in early 2017 by Mischael Modrikamen, a Belgian lawyer and leader of the right-wing Belgium Popular Party.
Modrikamen and Bannon thus decided to join forces.
Who is in?
After the Italian Interior minister Matteo Salvini joined the initiative and Marine Le Pen expressed her willingness to do so, Modrikamen confirms he is in contact with several populist leaders, including Viktor Orbán.
Mischael Modrikamen, Belgium Popular Party member and The Movement co-founder, (in English)
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“We are now having a lot of telephone conversations or meetings with representatives of these parties to organise meetings with the leaders, and after these meetings we decide – and they decide – if they are prepared to join. And I think in the next week we will certainly have 10 to 15 parties that will join formally ‘The Movement.’”
How many populist parties will really join “the club” is still unknown. The platform is open to allow members to maintain their political affiliation, like being part of the European People’s Party. According to Modrikamen, the Spanish Partido Popular for example is “close” to The Movement’s positions.
Common agenda?
In a recent interview, a senior expert at the Egmont Institute expressed his doubts about The Movement’s capacity to bring together populists with a patriotic discourse across Europe
Dr Basile Ridard, Senior Research Fellow of European Affairs at Egmont Institute (in French)
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“Some far-right parties are not ready to follow Bannon’s strategy and probably Mr. Bannon and his team have underestimated the complexity of the traditional game of the party politics in Europe.”
However, Modrikamen hopes that common objectives can unite them. The definition of these objectives so far is rather vague.
Mischael Modrikamen, Belgium Popular party member and The Movement co-founder, (in English)
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“We can unite the populist around three or four principles: we want more sovereignty, we want the ordinary people to take back their future into their own hands –which means we do not want to depend from foreign entities or foreign institutions, multilateral institutions. We believe to have a vibrant democracy we need borders, you need to know who is in, who is out and you need people that share common values.”
The role of Bannon
Several political analysts are also sceptical about Bannon’s potential influence on European parties. Modrikamen disagrees, arguing that Bannon’s strength is the knowledge of “grass-root movements”.
Mischael Modrikamen, Belgium Popular party member and The Movement co-founder, (in English)
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“He [Bannon] knows a lot about what is the most important which is the grass-root movements, populism, representing the ordinary guy. The parameters, problems, issues are the same in the United States, Europe, or, I’m sure, in other countries”.
What about the EU?
Despite the low number of affiliates at this stage, The Movement plans to hold a summit between November and January, before the EU 2019 election campaign starts.
Meanwhile, the bloc’s position regarding the EU is not defined.
Mischael Modrikamen, Belgium Popular Party member and The Movement co-founder, (in English)
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“I believe we can live with a European institution provided that it has limited competences. That it does not intervene in the internal life of the citizens and in the sovereignty of the national states as it is the case today and provided, too, it is fully democratic”.
- Author: Natalia Segura, Euranet Plus News Agency
