Update on the “Patriotic Party”

Update: Our Flemish correspondent VH has sent a more accurate translation of Philip Claeys’ statement, so I am now using his version.


It seems that the organizers of the new EU-wide Patriotic Party may have jumped the gun as far as the participation of Vlaams Belang is concerned. According to a spokesman, VB is engaged in “discussions”, but has made no commitment to join an actual party.

The following is from the VB website, translated by machine and then slightly revised for coherent syntax. If any of our Dutch or Flemish readers want to correct the translation, please leave a message in the comments our Flemish correspondent VH.

Vlaams Belang is holding a conversation on European cooperation

Today, at the initiative of the Austrian Freedom Party, a meeting was convened in Vienna with MPs from the parties that belonged to the now disbanded ITS parliamentary group (identity, tradition, sovereignty) in the European parliament.

There were numerous cases discussed, and also the possibility of forming a right-national umbrella organization was examined.

The chairman of the Austrian Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, declared a desire to establish contacts with democratic right-wing parties in all European countries and support each other in the struggle against the politically correct establishment in all these countries.

Vlaams Belang also took part in these discussions. Vlaams Belang is obviously willing to maintain close contacts and the best relationships with like-minded parties abroad. At this time, though, we cannot commit to any kind of European political party formation. In addition, the whole thing is quite premature. For Europe imposes unreasonable criteria for the formation of a European political-party umbrella, by which the ideological rules of political correctness are layed down in an unacceptable and undemocratic manner.

- - - - - - - - -

The preference of Vlaams Belang extends more towards bilateral contacts with European likeminded spirits than an umbrella party.

A consensus was reached, however, on a number of cross-border matters, such as opposition to the possible accession of Turkey to the EU, and also to the Treaty of Lisbon, which is actually a new version of the European constitution which was rejected earlier.


Philip Claeys
MEP

Hat tip: CVF.