Key facts
- Marieke Ehlers serves as the chief whip for the Patriots for Europe, the third-largest political group in the European Parliament.
- The Patriots for Europe have shifted from a protest movement to a pragmatic force seeking legislative influence through compromise and coalition-building.
- Ehlers has been central to forging alliances, notably with the center-right European People's Party (EPP), on key legislation such as migration laws.
- The strategy involves supporting proposals to prove reliability, with Ehlers emphasizing that their votes are no longer given freely.
- The EPP maintains that while they may rely on far-right votes, there is no formal alliance or negotiation with the Patriots for Europe.
Marieke Ehlers, the chief whip of the Patriots for Europe, is playing a pivotal role in transforming Europe's far-right movement into a more influential force within the European Parliament. The Patriots for Europe, the third-largest group in the Parliament, comprises parties such as France's National Rally, Geert Wilders’ Party of Freedom (PVV), and Spain's Vox. Ehlers' strategy focuses on pragmatic compromise and coalition-building, moving away from a purely oppositional stance to one capable of shaping legislation.
This shift is occurring as the traditional 'cordon sanitaire' against the far-right has weakened. The growth of the Patriots in the recent EU election has created an opening for the center-right European People's Party (EPP) to potentially rely on far-right votes for legislative majorities, a move that has caused internal friction within the EPP, with figures like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warning against such cooperation.
Ehlers has been at the forefront of this new strategy, leading negotiations on key legislation, including a law to ramp up deportations. She explained that the Patriots deliberately supported EPP proposals initially without asking for much in return to build trust, but now their votes are not freely given. The group aims to steer legislation in their desired direction or, pragmatically, to prevent worse outcomes from left-wing majorities.
While the EPP insists it does not have a structured alliance or coordination with the Patriots for Europe and that far-right support is without quid pro quo, Ehlers disputes this, citing the deportation law as an example where EPP demands were met after receiving the Patriots' approval. Her role involves identifying common ground among the diverse national delegations within the Patriots and facilitating coalition-building by ensuring reliable votes.