Key facts
- European Parliament lawyers told a court that votes blocking the far-right from key jobs are final.
- The Patriots for Europe group is challenging its exclusion from parliamentary committee leadership roles and international delegations.
- The Patriots for Europe group has 85 lawmakers in the 720-strong European Parliament.
- The European People's Party (EPP) has previously stated that giving the far-right access to executive posts is a red line.
Lawyers for the European Parliament told a court in Luxembourg on October 7, 2026, that secret ballot votes that blocked the far-right Patriots for Europe group from key positions are definitive and cannot be reviewed. "The results of the vote are definitive. There’s no mechanism in our rules to redo the vote," said Parliament lawyer Niklas Görlitz.
The EU’s General Court is hearing a case brought by the Patriots for Europe, which includes France’s National Rally, Spain’s Vox, and Hungary’s Fidesz. The group is challenging a long-standing firewall established by centrist parties to prevent the far-right from decision-making roles. Specifically, the Patriots are contesting the selection of chairs and vice-chairs of parliamentary committees and the composition of international delegations, arguing that its lawmakers were excluded from key roles.
Lawyers for the Patriots described the exclusion from top committee jobs as a "categorical exclusion" and unacceptable for the Parliament’s third-largest party, which has 85 lawmakers out of 720. The group's lawyer, Azelio Fulmini, cited the European Parliament's own description of proportional distribution of leadership positions to ensure smaller groups have a say. Görlitz countered that while all groups can nominate candidates, failing to secure enough votes does not justify judicial intervention.
The Patriots' lawyer accused the Parliament of implementing a political agreement to keep the group out of leadership posts, rather than neutrally administering elections. EPP chief Manfred Weber had previously stated in May 2025 that giving the far-right access to executive posts was a red line. The court's president, Savvas Papasavvas, did not set a date for a decision.