For the first time, an EU-level political party faces scrutiny over whether it meets the bloc’s fundamental values. The review of the Europe of Sovereign Nations could ultimately put its European funding at risk.

The European Parliament has officially requested the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (AFPP) to verify whether the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) complies with EU values. The review will determine whether the party meets the legal reqirements for registration and funding under the Regulation on the Statute and Funding of European Political Parties and European Political Foundations. In the secret ballot, 414 MEPs supported the request, 224 opposed it, and 18 abstained.

The procedure was initiated—for the first time in history—after the Authority, responsible for the registration, monitoring, and possible sanctioning of European political parties, informed the EU institutions of facts raising doubts about whether ESN meets the standards required under EU law.

What triggered the scrutiny

At the centre of the scrutiny is Germany’s AfD, one of ESN’s founding members, which has faced repeated accusations of extremism, alongside allegations of anti-immigration, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric linked to some ESN-affiliated parties. Bulgaria’s Revival party has also drawn attention over alleged pro-Kremlin ties.

From this moment, the European Commission, Council, and Parliament have two months to decide whether to submit a request for verification. Tuesday’s vote triggered the next step in the process.

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The independent authority will now assess whether ESN upholds the fundamental EU values, such as democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. If these values ​​are violated, it could decide to remove it from the party register and therefore cut off ESN’s funding. However, the decision can only take effect if there are no objections from the Parliament or the Council.

The Left initiated the process on June 9, forming a coalition of progressive political groups to call for an investigation into the party following a 300-page report published by the AFPP, which detailed ESN’s violations of fundamental EU values. As a MEP from the PPE reveiled, the letter request by The Left has been signed by 247 members.

Who stands for ESN

Among those who voted against was also the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). The co-president of the ECR, Patryk Jaki (POL), reiterated that the vote against was not to defend ESN indiscriminately, but for freedom of speech. “The idea that the majority can appoint an authority composed of people like themselves to monitor minority opinions is undemocratic and ridiculous; this is not about a democratic shield,” he said.

The ECR group had previously declared its intention to vote against it, a move similar to that made by the Patriots for Europe (PfE). According to The Left, “although the three far-right groups ECR, Patriots, and ESN present in Parliament today attempted to influence the vote by calling for a secret ballot, they were ultimately defeated”.

MEP Brando Benifei (S&D/ITA), a member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee who backed the initiative, claimed the issue was not censorship but the use of public funds. “Can a political group that openly promotes racist, misogynistic, and, some of its members, even anti-Semitic and Islamophobic ideas receive significant European funding?” he asked, arguing that EU taxpayers’ money should not support groups that promote positions contrary to the Constitution and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.