European Free Alliance
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European Free Alliance Europäische Freie Allianz Alliance libre européenne Alleanza libera europea Alianza libre europea Europese Vrije Alliantie L-Alleanza Ħilsa Ewropea Aliança Lliure Europea Fria Europeiska Alliansen Evropská svobodná aliance |
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President | Eric Defoort |
Founded | 1981 |
Headquarters | Boomkwekerijstraat 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
Ideology | Regionalism, Independentism, Progressivism (majority) |
International affiliation | none |
European Parliament Group | The Greens–European Free Alliance |
Political foundation | Centre Maurits Coppieters |
Website | |
www.e-f-a.org | |
Politics of the European Union Political parties Elections |
The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party.
It consists of various national-level political parties in Europe advocating 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).
Contents |
[edit] 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 coalition, 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, the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP) with the Group of the European People's Party, and Batasuna among the Non-Inscrits.[4]
In 1989 EFA members formed a group also called Rainbow. It consisted of three Italian MEPs (Lega Nord two, Sardinian Action Party one), two Spanish MEPs (one each for the PNV and the Andalusian Party, PA), one Belgian MEP (for VU), one French MEP (Union of the Corsican People, UPC), one British MEP (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, Batasuna and the Convergence and Union of Catalonia (CiU) refused to join.[5]
In the 1994 European Parliament election the regionalists lost considerably. Moreover they had suspended the membership of their major affiliate, Lega Nord, for entering into government with the post-fascist National Alliance and the PNV chose to switch to the European People's Party (EPP). The three remaining EFA member parties in Parliament (SNP, VU and Canarian Coalition) formed a common group with the French Energie Radicale list and the Italian Pannella List. This group was called European Radical Alliance.[6]
Following the 1999 European Parliament election EFA members 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).[9]
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.[10]
[edit] 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."[11]
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, although there are some notable exceptions such as the conservative New Flemish Alliance, Bavaria Party and Future of Åland, the Christian-democratic ProDG and Slovene Union, the centre-right Liga Veneta Repubblica, and the far-right[12] South Tyrolean Freedom.
[edit] Organisation
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.[11]
The Bureau takes care of daily affairs. It is chaired by Eric Defoort (New Flemish Alliance). Marta Rovira (Republican Left of Catalonia) is secretary-general. François Alfonsi (Party of the Corsican Nation). The other members of the Bureau are all vice-presidents: 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 (Rainbow), Rolf Granlund (Future of Åland), Reinhild Campidell (South Tyrolean Freedom) and Lucy Collyer (Majorca Socialist Party).[13]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Observer members
Current state(s) | Party | Seeking to represent |
Joined | MEPs |
---|---|---|---|---|
Denmark | Schleswig Party | Germans | 2011 | 0 |
Germany | Lusatian Alliance | Sorbs, Lusatia | 2009 | 0 |
Hungary | Renewed Roma Union Party of Hungary | Roma in Hungary | 2009 | 0 |
Italy | Movement for the Independence of Sicily | Sicily | 2009 | 0 |
Latvia | For Human Rights in United Latvia | Baltic Russians, Latgalians | 2010 | 1 |
[edit] Former members
Current state(s) | Party | Seeking to represent |
Joined (Observer/Member[14]) |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Belgium | Party of German-speaking Belgians | German-speaking Belgians | 1981 | Ceased activity in 2009 |
Belgium | People's Union | Flanders | 1981 | Split into the New-Flemish Alliance and SPIRIT |
Italy | Emilian Free Alliance | Emilia | 1999/2000 | Ceased activity in 2010 |
Italy | Lega Nord | Padania | 1991 | Suspended in 1994, left in 1996 and joined ELDR |
Italy | Valdotanian Union | Aosta Valley | Expelled in 2007 after lack of activity in EFA structures | |
Lithuania | Lithuanian Polish People's Party | Poles | 2003/2004 | Ceased activity in 2010 |
Italy | Union for South Tyrol | South Tyrol | Expelled in 2008 over its opposition to the Bilbao declaration | |
Romania | Transilvania–Banat League | Transylvania and Banat | Ceased activity | |
Slovakia | Hungarian Federalist Party | Hungarians | Ceased activity in 2005 | |
Spain / France | Basque Nationalist Party | Basque Country | 1999 | Left in 2004 and joined the EDP |
[edit] Non-members
Several prominent regional, regionalist, secessionist or minority parties are not members of EFA. These include:
- Belgium
- Vlaams Belang, non-inscrit
- Democratic Front of Francophones, ELDR
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Finland
- Swedish People's Party, ELDR
- Germany
- Italy
- Lega Nord, left in 1996, later ELDR, IND/DEM, UEN and now EFD
- Valdotanian Union, expelled in 2007
- Edelweiss Aosta Valley
- Autonomist Federation
- South Tyrolean People's Party, EPP
- The Libertarians
- Union for South Tyrol, expelled in 2008
- Union for Trentino
- Trentino Tyrolean Autonomist Party
- North-East Project/Union
- Sardinian Reformers
- Independence Republic of Sardinia
- Movement for Autonomies
- Great South
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Basque Nationalist Party, formerly EPP, then EFA until 2004 and now EDP
- Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, ELDR
- Democratic Union of Catalonia, EPP
- Initiative for Catalonia Greens, EGP
- Navarrese People's Union, EPP group
- Canarian Coalition, ELDR group
- Valencian Nationalist Bloc
- Aragonese Party
- Regionalist Party of Cantabria
- United Kingdom
- Sinn Féin, EUL–NGL
- Social Democratic and Labour Party, PES
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sHWJ8g3GGQ
- ^ Gupta, Devashree (2008), "Nationalism Across Borders: Transnational Nationalist Advocacy in the European Union", Comparative European Politics 6 (6): 61, doi:10.1057/palgrave.cep.6110127, http://www.palgrave-journals.com/cep/journal/v6/n1/full/6110127a.html
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep1979.html
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep1984.html
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep1989.html
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep1994.html
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep1999.html
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep2004.html
- ^ http://www.ideasforeurope.eu
- ^ http://www.parties-and-elections.de/eu-ep2009.html
- ^ a b http://www.e-f-a.org/efaactive.php?id=12
- ^ http://ricerca.gelocal.it/altoadige/archivio/altoadige/2010/10/14/AZBPO_AZB03.html
- ^ European Free Alliance - Bureau
- ^ a b http://www.sybrenposthumus.com/images/europasche_freie_allianz_efa_-_2_copy1.ppt
- ^ http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/fetch.php?id=15405&title=CELTIC%20COUNTRIES:%20EU%20ELECTION%20RESULTS%20IN%20DETAIL
[edit] 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
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