Union for Europe of the Nations

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Union for Europe of the Nations
European Parliament group
UEN logo
Name Union for Europe of the Nations
English abbr. UEN[1][2]
French abbr. n/a
Formal name Union for Europe of the Nations Group[3]
Ideology National conservatism
European parties Alliance for Europe of the Nations
From July 20, 1999[4][5]
To present
Preceded by Group Union for Europe
Succeeded by n/a
Chaired by Charles Pasqua,[3] (99-04)
Brian Crowley,[6] (04-present)
Cristiana Muscardini,[7] (04-present)
MEP(s) 31[8] (July 20, 1999)
30[9] (July 22, 1999)
23[10] (April 30, 2004)
30[11] (May 5, 2004)
27[12][13] (June 4, 2004)
27[8][14] (July 20, 2004)
44 (3 May 2008)
Website http://www.uengroup.org/

Union for Europe of the Nations is a political group of the European Parliament formed on 20 July 1999[4], supplanting the earlier Union for Europe.

While the UEN in the broad is national-conservative, some members are uncomfortable with this political line. Fianna Fáil is centrist and there is a strong movement for the party to leave UEN and join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. National Alliance, which despite its post-fascist background is a moderate national-conservative party strongly promoting European integration, is also growing uncomfortable with UEN allies and is seeking admission to the European People's Party. Lega Nord, an advocate of a "Europe of the Regions", is an uncomfortable member of the group as well.

Contents

[edit] Present and future

UEN is attached to the broader Alliance for Europe of the Nations organization. Fianna Fáil and National Alliance are considered the driving forces behind the group despite their being alone in their support for the proposed European Constitution. The Treaty was negotiated by FF leader Bertie Ahern (in his capacity as President of the European Council in 2004) and by AN leader Gianfranco Fini (in his capacity as member of the Convention presided by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing).

While the UEN in the broad is national-conservative, Fianna Fáil is centrist. European political commentators have often noted substantive ideological differences between this party and its groupmates, whose strongly conservative stances have at times prompted domestic criticism of Fianna Fáil. The party, over the objections of some MEPs, has made several attempts to sever the party's links to the European right, most recently an aborted 2004 agreement to join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, with whom it already sits at the Council of Europe.

Even National Alliance, which despite having its roots in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement is a moderate-conservative party, is growing uncomfortable within UEN and is seeking admission to the European People's Party and its group. This will finally happen in 2009, when it will be merged with Forza Italia, a christian-democratic and liberal party, into the People of Freedom.

As also Lega Nord is uncomfortable with its groupmates and would like to form an alliance with other regionalist parties and two of the three Polish parties are almost disbanded, the future of the group is uncertain.

[edit] Member Parties

[edit] Sources

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Democracy in the European Parliament
  2. ^ a b Development of Political Groups in the European Parliament
  3. ^ a b c European Parliament profile of Charles Pasqua
  4. ^ a b c UFE on Europe Politique
  5. ^ a b UEN on Europe Politique
  6. ^ a b European Parliament profile of Brian Crowley
  7. ^ a b European Parliament profile of Cristiana Muscardini
  8. ^ a b c Unie pro Evropu národů/Union for Europe of Nations, 2005 article by Pavla Papírníková, in the Central European Political Studies Review, from the International Institute of Political Science, Masaryk University.
  9. ^ a b Seats in the EP 22/07/1999 has UEN with 30 seats
  10. ^ a b Seats in the EP 30/04/2004 has UEN with 23 seats
  11. ^ a b Seats in the EP 05/05/2004 has UEN with 30 seats
  12. ^ a b Seats in the EP 30/06/2004 has UEN with 27 seats
  13. ^ a b Seats in the EP 30/06/2004 by party has UEN with 27 seats
  14. ^ a b Europe Politique Seats in the EP 20/07/2004 by party has UEN with 27 seats
  15. ^ Three LPR MEPs remain in the Ind/Dem group, which encompassed all LPR MEPs at the outset of the legislature and two others sit as Non-Inscrits.
  16. ^ One Samoobrona MEP sits apart from his colleagues in the Socialist group.
  17. ^ - entered from the Polish Peasant Party, which is aligned with the European People's Party, but against the wishes of party leadership 3 of its 4 MEPs moved to UEN in December 2005 and, in March 2006, registered a new party - PSL "Piast".

[edit] External links

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