Fico Considers Forming New EP Group Instead of Joining Existing Factions

Brussels/Bratislava, 17 November (TASR) – Prime Minister Robert Fico and his party Smer-SD will not, for the time being, join any political group in the European Parliament (EP), according to MEP Monika Benova. Instead, Fico is considering creating a new EP group with like-minded left-wing and “anti-war” parties, Euronews reported on Monday. Benova declared that Fico has decided to abandon the idea of joining the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group despite holding talks on the matter with Hungarian Prime Minister and PfE co-founder Viktor Orban. “Based on my conversations with Prime Minister Fico, I can tell you that he does not want to join another group and is waiting for next year,” Benova said, adding that one option was to establish a new EP group with similarly oriented left-wing parties. According to her, the group could be formed as a coalition of “friends of peace.” She did not specify which parties might join such a faction. Euronews lists the German Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) as one of the potential candidates. The Party of European Socialists (PES) unanimously and definitively expelled Smer-SD from its structures in October over conflicts with its values. In October 2023, the group's presidency suspended the full membership of Smer-SD and the associate membership of the party Voice-SD. Forming a new EP group is not easy – at least 23 MEPs from seven EU member states are required. mf