Key facts
- Hayer wants a midterm agreement binding groups to delivery on the budget and the Industrial Accelerator Act.
- Renew Europe will not back any candidate for Parliament president without a detailed coalition deal.
- The EPP has occasionally voted with right-wing and far-right groups on legislation.
- Hayer wants commissioners to bring groups together before proposing new laws.
Valérie Hayer, the head of the liberal Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, has urged the continent's three mainstream political groups to form a coalition agreement to keep the far right out of power ahead of the 2029 elections. Hayer, an ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, believes a strong centrist alliance is crucial for delivering ambitious policies on competitiveness, defense, and climate change. She emphasized that a coalition agreement, detailing policy priorities, must precede any leadership agreement for the Parliament presidency. This stance could pressure the conservative European People's Party (EPP), which has at times collaborated with right-wing and far-right groups, to negotiate with liberals and social democrats. Hayer specifically wants the agreement to cover the budget and the Industrial Accelerator Act, and to exclude the far right from key parliamentary posts. She expressed confidence that discussions with other centrist leaders are progressing.