Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are holding talks for Fico’s SMER party to join Patriots for Europe. This was confirmed to Euronews by Balázs Orbán, the political director of Viktor Orbán (not related), during the European Council meeting on Thursday in Brussels.
“There are ongoing consultations between the two prime ministers,” – Balázs Orbán said.
Fico’s SMER party was expelled from the Party of European Socialists last week for “breaching the values” of the centre-left party family in a unanimous decision. Fico has been widely criticized in the past for his Eurosceptic and anti-Ukrainian narratives by the European Social Democrats.
The goal could be an Orbán-Fico-Babis axis in the EU
According to Balázs Orbán, Patriots are open to welcoming SMER.
The alliance is unusual but not surprising. Fico has spent his political career associated with the Social Democrats. The departure to Patriots for Europe would mark a significant rupture with the historic standing of his SMER party, which, if the move is confirmed, would join the hardest right in the European parliament under Patriots.
Yet, Fico and Orbán share a common Brussels agenda in pushing for a harder line on migration, their opposition to the Green Deal and anti-LGBTQ stance.
“The door is open from our side. This is something Robert Fico and his party will have to decide. He comes from a left-wing world, but the sovereignist approach is a strong one in his party. We will see what they decide.”
Patriots for Europe holds 86 MEP seats in the European Parliament, making it the third biggest political group. If SMER ends up joining, they stand to gain 5 MEP to reach 91 seats.
Beyond the dynamics in the European Parliament, the change could be more profound at the European Council. The winner of the Czech elections, Andrej Babiš, who is currently holding talks to form a government in Prague, is also a member of Patriots.
Together, Patriots could have three sitting prime ministers at the European Council where EU27 leaders debate alongside the Commission the most pressing strategic priorities for Europe and each holds a veto.
Balázs Orbán voiced his confidence that this scenario will happen at the European Council.
Robert Fico has not yet decided on Patriots offer
Euronews reached out for comments to the office of Prime Minister Robert Fico, the headquarters of the SMER party in Slovakia, and party MEPs in Brussels. While acknowledging this is a party matter, they did not provide further details.
Fico said on Monday in Abu Dhabi during a visit that SMER had received offers from different factions in the European Parliament and would “think carefully about this.”
Fico attacked the European Socialist Party, which evicted him unanimously, saying that they have abandoned authentic left-wing values in detriment of the average voter.
The Party of European Socialists should be “renamed to the party of European homosexuals and warmongers”, he said, according to local media in Slovakia.
Sources with direct knowledge of the SMER party said that Fico could also consider other options beyond Patriots, like establishing a new political group with nationalist parties coming from the left, such as the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance in Germany.
Patriots MEPs say they would welcome Fico’s SMER
Euronews talked to several MEPs from Patriots for Europe, who said they would welcome them into their group.
One MEP who did not wish to be named as the discussions are in progress said the Hungarians are leading the negotiations at the prime ministerial level.
Other delegations, such as the Portuguese Chega and the Spanish Vox, also signaled their openness, despite SMER’s previous affiliation with the Socialists of Portugal and Spain.
“We always welcome converts”, one MEP told Euronews, who did not wish to be named as the talks are delicate, saying they would not be surprised if SMER joins the group as the Slovak party has “very converging political positions” with PfE members on issues such as migration, LGBTQ people’s rights, and the Green Deal.
Fico, a controversial politician at the European level
Fico has clashed several times with the EU, holding off on sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, LGBTQ rights, climate regulation, and China.
Earlier this year, Fico was criticized by the European Commission for attending Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day parade in Moscow, where he thanked the Red Army for liberating Slovakia from Nazi rule during the Second World War. The High Representative of the EU, Kaja Kallas, had strongly opposed member states from going to Moscow.
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