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Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty

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Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty (French: Identité, tradition, souveraineté, abbr. ITS, stylised its) was a far-right[6][7] political group that operated in the European Parliament between January and November 2007. It was composed of 23 MEPs and only existed during the European Parliament's 6th term. While a common political charter for the ITS was signed on 9 January 2007, the ITS was recognised as a political group on 15 January by parliamentary president Josep Borrell.[8][9]

Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty
European Parliament group
NameIdentity, Tradition, Sovereignty
English abbr.ITS
French abbr.ITS
Formal nameIdentity, Tradition and Sovereignty Group
Ideology
Political positionFar-right[2][4][6][7]
European partiesEuronat
From15 January 2007
To14 November 2007
Chaired byBruno Gollnisch
Websiteits-pe.eu (archived URL)

Ideologically, ITS was nationalist, ultraconservative, Eurosceptic, and strongly opposed to immigration. The largest party within ITS was the far-right extremist National Front of Jean-Marie Le Pen, while its members were also parties like the Greater Romania Party (PRM), Vlaams Belang and Bulgarian Attack. Following remarks made by Alessandra Mussolini, the MEP of Social Alternative, that Romanian ITS members found insulting, the PRM withdrew from the group, thus disqualifying it as an official group. Hence, it formally ceased to exist on 14 November 2007.[10][11][12]

History

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To form a political group in the European Parliament, there needed to be 20 MEPs from six different states (subsequently increased to 25 MEPs from seven states, for the 2009 session).[13] The accession of Bulgaria and Romania brought into the European Parliament a number of new far-right MEPs, providing sufficient numbers to create a far-right group.[14] Incentives for creating a group are approximately €1 million in public funds and guaranteed seats on the committees of the European Parliament. There were concerns in other parties about public funds and influence going towards a group with such an ideology.[14] Despite attempts to block the group's formation, it was formed on 15 January 2007.[8] However, other MEPs successfully blocked ITS from gaining positions on Parliamentary committees, including two vice-presidencies, despite normally being entitled to them.[15]

The largest component was the French National Front and its chairman in the Parliament, Bruno Gollnisch, was chair of the ITS group. The National Front had previous allied with other far-right groups, beginning in the 1980s.[14] Following the Bulgarian European Parliament elections, the group gained two more Ataka MEPs, Slavcho Binev and Desislav Chukolov.

The PRM announced on 8 November 2007 that it would withdraw its five members from the group on 12 November 2007 over comments made by Alessandra Mussolini over the expulsion of Romanian criminals from Italy in early November 2007, thus dooming the parliamentary group to falter less than a year after its creation.[16] Andreas Mölzer stated in an interview with Die Presse that the group was searching for other MEPs who might join their group to save it.[17] Other MEPs had already welcomed the prospect of the group's demise, with Alyn Smith MEP stating that it "warms the heart" to watch them arguing among themselves.[18] During the previous months, the group had failed to act as a coherent political faction.[19][neutrality is disputed]

It was announced that the group had been dissolved on 14 November 2007 after four of the five PRM members left the group.[20]

Policies

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The group's founding charter has been described as "broadly anti-immigration, anti-EU constitution and anti-Turkish EU membership,"[6][8] while participants emphasised that the group would function relatively loosely. Alessandra Mussolini described it as "more a technical than a political group [...] We are mainly getting together out of necessity. Survival is only possible in a political group."[21]

The Romanian PRM leader stated that he favoured a strong association and eventual EU membership for Turkey provided it settles the dispute regarding Cyprus and that the common ground for the new group is based exactly on the values the group's name suggests.[22]

Members

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Bruno Gollnisch, chair of the ITS group

The membership of ITS while it existed between January and November 2007:

Country Name Ideology MEPs
  France National Front FN National conservatism
Right-wing populism
7 / 732
  Romania Greater Romania Party PRM Romanian nationalism
Romanian irredentism
5 / 732
Mircea Coșea (Ind.)
1 / 732
  Belgium Vlaams Belang VB Flemish nationalism
Right-wing populism
3 / 732
  Bulgaria Attack Ultranationalism
Right-wing populism
3 / 732
  Italy Social Alternative AS Neo-fascism
Euroscepticism
1 / 732
Tricolour Flame FT Neo-fascism
Euroscepticism
1 / 732
  Austria Freedom Party of Austria FPO National conservatism
Right-wing populism
1 / 732
  United Kingdom Ashley Mote (Ind.)
1 / 732

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2007). "European Union". Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Demise of the Euro-Racists: Xenophobia Scuppers EU Far-Right Group". Der Spiegel. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. ^ Kraske, Marion; Schlamp, Hans-Jürgen (23 January 2007). "Far-Right MPs Join Forces in EU Parliament: A Small Thorn in The EU's Side". Der Spiegel.
  4. ^ a b c "Far Right – DW – 01/16/2007". dw.com. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Far-right MEPs announce alliance". BBC News. 10 January 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Duncan Watts (2008). The European Union. Edinburgh University Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-7486-3298-5.
  7. ^ a b Senem Aydin-Düzgit (2012). Constructions of European Identity: Debates and Discourses on Turkey and the EU. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-137-16085-0.
  8. ^ a b c Mahony, Honor (9 January 2007). "Far-right group formed in European Parliament". EUobserver. Retrieved 10 January 2007.
  9. ^ "Rechtsaußenbündnis im Europaparlament entsteht" (in German). Der Standard. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2007.
  10. ^ European Parliament's Far-Right Bloc Collapses, Deutsche Welle, 15 November 2007
  11. ^ MEPs welcome fall of far-right group EU Observer
  12. ^ "End of the Identity , Tradition and Sovereignty political group as Romanian MEPs leave".
  13. ^ Times OnLine[dead link‍] "No shortage of European bedfellows for BNP," by David Charter (8 June 2009 - retrieved on 10 June 2009).
  14. ^ a b c Brunwasser, Matthew (14 January 2007). "Bulgaria and Romania bolster far right profile in EU Parliament". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
  15. ^ "Far-Right Wing Group Sidelined in European Parliament". Deutsche Welle. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
  16. ^ theparliament.com - Far-right group in EU parliament collapses
  17. ^ ""Rechtsaußen-Fraktion" nach Mussolini-Ausbruch vor Ende «". Diepresse.com. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  18. ^ "EU far-right bloc faces collapse". BBC News. 9 November 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  19. ^ Mahony, Honor (8 November 2007). "Far-right European parliament group on verge of collapse". EU Observer. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  20. ^ theparliament.com - MEPs cheer collapse of far-right ITS group
  21. ^ Mahony, Honor (8 January 2007). "Plans for European far-right group intensify". EUobserver. Retrieved 13 January 2007.
  22. ^ Romanian OTV channel, 10 January 2007

Further reading

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  • Duerr, Glen M. E. (2015). Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty: The Transnational Linkages of Radical Nationalist Political Parties in the European Union. Lexington Books. pp. 105–122. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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