Has Europe's center-right started relying on the far right?

"The significance of the reports is not just that the far right voted with the center-right, but that there may have been prior contact, agreement on wording and efforts to assemble a joint majority. The real story may go beyond one controversial vote. It hinges on whether the EPP is developing a new governing habit: Working with the pro-European center when possible and turning to the far right when useful."

"The EU is moving in the direction of something like a minority government in the European Parliament. In his view, the EPP is increasingly choosing between two possible majorities: The traditional pro-European coalition with Socialists and Liberals, and, in a growing number of cases, a majority with parties to its right."

German politics traditionally maintains a firewall against far-right cooperation, but European Parliament dynamics reveal a troubling pattern. The center-right European People's Party (EPP) has reportedly coordinated with far-right groups on migration policy votes, including deportation center proposals. This coordination suggests prior contact and deliberate majority-building rather than coincidental alignment. Experts identify this as a structural change in Parliament operations, where the EPP strategically chooses between traditional pro-European coalitions with Socialists and Liberals, or alternative majorities with rightist parties. This represents a potential erosion of democratic norms and suggests the EPP may be developing a governing habit of opportunistic cooperation with extremist parties when convenient.

Read at www.dw.com