European Free Alliance

The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party. It consists of various national-level political parties in Europe which advocate either full political independence (statehood), or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region.^[1] The alliance has generally limited its membership to progressive parties,^[2] and therefore, not all European regionalist parties are members of EFA.

The EFA and European Green Party operate together to form The Greens–European Free Alliance political grouping in the European Parliament. The EFA's youth wing is the European Free Alliance Youth (EFAY).

History

Since the 1979 European Parliament election regionalists and separatists have been represented in the European Parliament. In that election five regionalist parties got seats: the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) of Northern Ireland, the Scottish National Party (SNP), the Flemish People's Union (VU), the Walloon Democratic Front of Francophones (FDF) and the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP). The SNP, although being a social-democratic party, joined the European Progressive Democrats, which was led by the Gaullist Rally for the Republic, the SDLP the Socialist Group, VU and FDF the Technical Group of Independents, which comprised both conservative and left-wing MEPs, and the SVP the European People's Party group.^[3]

In 1981 several European regionalist parties joined forces to form a pan-European political alliance, called the European Free Alliance. It was not until the 1989 European Parliament election that the EFA members formed a united group in the European Parliament. Before the regionalists had been seated divided, with the SNP with the Gaullist European Democratic Alliance, VU, the Valdotanian Union and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) in the Rainbow Group, together with green parties, and Batasuna among the Non-Inscrits.^[4]

In 1989 the regionalists, including EFA members, formed a group also called the Rainbow Group. It consisted out of three Italian MEPs (for Lega Nord and the Sardinian Action Party), two Spanish MEPs (for the PNV and the Andalusian Party, PA), one Belgian MEP (for VU), one French MEP (for the Union of the Corsican People, UPC), one British MEP (for the SNP) and one Irish MEP (Neil Blaney, independent). They were joined by 4 MEPs from the left-wing Danish Eurosceptic People's Movement against the EU, while the other regionalist MEPs, including those of the SDLP, the SVP and the Convergence and Union of Catalonia (CiU) refused to join EFA.^[5]

In the 1994 European Parliament election the regionalists lost considerably. Moreover they had suspended the membership of Lega Nord for entering into government with the post-fascist National Alliance and the PNV chose to join the European People's Party. The three remaining EFA members in the Parliament (SNP, VU and Canarian Coalition formed a common group with the Energie Radicale list. This group was called European Radical Alliance.^[6]

Following the 1999 European Parliament election the EFA members in parliament formed a common European parliamentary group with the European Green Party called The Greens–European Free Alliance. The EFA supplied ten members: two of the Scottish SNP, two of the Welsh Plaid Cymru (PC), two of the Flemish VU, one of the Basque PNV, one of Basque Solidarity (EA), one of the Andalusian PA and one of the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG).^[7]

In the 2004 European Parliament election the EFA was reduced to four MEPs two of the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one of PC (Jill Evans) and one of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC; Bernat Joan i Mari, replaced at the mid-term by MEP Mikel Irujo of Basque EA) plus two affiliate members (Tatjana Ždanoka of For Human Rights in United Latvia (PCTVL) and László Tőkés, independent MEP and former member of Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UMDR). The cooperation between EFA and the Greens was continued. In 2004 the EFA formally became a European political party.^[8]

Following the 2008 revision of the EU Regulation that governs European political parties allowing the creation of European foundations affiliated to Europarties, the EFA established in September 2007 its official foundation/think tank, the Centre Maurits Coppieters (CMC)

In the 2009 European Parliament election the EFA got six MEPs elected: two from the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one from the PC (Jill Evans), one from the Party of the Corsican Nation (PNC; François Alfonsi), one from the ERC (Oriol Junqueras) and Tatjana Ždanoka, individual member of the EFA from Latvia. After the election the New-Flemish Alliance (N-VA) also joined the EFA. The EFA subgroup thus counts 7 MEPs.^[9]

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."^[10]

The EFA sees itself as an alliance of stateless peoples, which are striving towards independence, autonomy, recognition or that want a proper voice in Europe. It supports European integration on basis of the subsidiarity-principle. It believes however that Europe should move away from further centralisation. It works towards the formation of a Europe of Regions. It believes that regions should have more power in Europe, for instance participate 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 European Union.

The EFA stands on the left of the political spectrum, and in the Brussels declaration it emphasises the protection of human rights, sustainable development and social justice. In 2007 the EFA congress in Bilbao added several progressive principles to the declaration: including a commitment to fight against racism, antisemitism, discrimination, xenophobia and islamophobia and a commitment to get full citizenship for migrants, including voting rights.

EFA members are generally progressive parties, although there are some notable exceptions such as the conservative New Flemish Alliance and Bavaria Party, the Christian democratic ProDG, the centre-right Liga Veneta Repubblica and the far-right^[11] South Tyrolean Freedom.

Organization

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

In the General Assembly every member party has one vote. It is the supreme council of the EFA. Only member parties can participate in the EFA. The EFA also has observers. Before becoming member a party needs to have been 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 first party needs to agree, these two parties will then form a common delegation with one vote. The EFA also recognizes friends of the EFA, a special status for regionalist parties outside of the European Union.^[10]

The Bureau takes care of daily affairs. It is chaired by Eric Defoort, a member of the New Flemish Alliance. Marta Rovira of the Republican Left of Catalonia is secretary-general, while François Alfonsi of the Party of the Corsican Nation is treasurer. The other members of the Bureau are all vice-president: Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru), Gustave Alirol (Occitan Party), Fabrizio Comencini (Liga Veneta Repubblica), Ana Miranda Paz (Galician Nationalist Bloc), Ian Hudghton (Scottish National Party), Sybren Posthumus (Frisian National Party), Sebastian Colio (Basque Solidarity), Dimitrios Ioannou (Ouranio Toxo/Vinozito), Rolf Granlund (Future of Åland), Reinhild Campidell (South Tyrolean Freedom) and Lucy Collyer (PSM Entesa Nacionalista).^[12]

Members

• (a) Merged into Groen! in December 2009. On the local level S-LP still has elected members who remain active under that name until 2012 when the next local elections will take place.

Observer members

Former members

Non-members

Several prominent regional, regionalist, secessionist or minority parties are not members of EFA. These include:

References

External links

• European Free Alliance website
• European Free Alliance (EFA) Manifesto for the June 2004 European elections
• The Greens-European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament
• European Free Alliance Youth EFAY