Rainbow Group (1989–94)

Rainbow Group (89–94)
European parliamentary group
Name Rainbow Group (89–94)
English abbr. RBW[1]
French abbr. ARC[2]
Formal name Rainbow Group in the European Parliament[2][3]
Ideology Regionalism
Associated organisations European Free Alliance
From 1989[2][4]
To 1994[2]
Preceded by Rainbow Group
Succeeded by European Radical Alliance
Chaired by Jaak Vandemeulebroucke[3]
MEP(s) 13 (25 July 1989)[5]

The Rainbow Group in the European Parliament was a regionalist[6] political group with representation in the European Parliament between 1989 and 1994.

History

In 1989[2][4] the previous Rainbow Group split. The Greens formed The Green Group in the European Parliament, whilst the Regionalists stayed in the remaining Rainbow Group.

This second Rainbow Group was the highpoint of the European Free Alliance (EFA) to that date.[7]

But the 1994 elections saw a considerable reduction in Regionalist representation in the Parliament, with only the Canarian Coalition, Lega Nord, Scottish National Party and People's Union keeping their MEPs.[7] But Lega Nord had been suspended from the EFA following its decision to join the Italian coalition government alongside the right-wing National Alliance.[7] The weakened EFA was no longer able to maintain their own group, and instead allied themselves with the members of the French Energie Radicale to form the Group of the European Radical Alliance.

Sources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Democracy in the European Parliament
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 G/EFA on Europe Politique
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 European Parliament profile of Jaak Vandemeulebroucke
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Development of Political Groups in the European Parliament
  5. 5.0 5.1 1989 European Parliament election results at July 25, 1989
  6. Carolyn Rhodes; Sonia Mazey (1995). Building a European Polity?. Lynne Rienner Publishers. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-1-55587-605-0.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 de Winter, Lieven; Türsan, Huri (1998). Regionalist Parties in Western Europe. Routledge. pp. 190–201. ISBN 0-415-16437-0.