Conservatives, Social Democrats, and Liberals reached an agreement late last night in the European Parliament on a package deal for the new EU Commission. This includes appointing the Italian Raffaele Fitto from the far-right party Fratelli d’Italia as Vice-President of the EU Commission. Also, the controversial Orban ally, Oliver Várhelyi from Hungary, was approved as part of the deal by the Social Democrats and Liberals and is expected to remain as an EU Commissioner. In exchange for the votes of the Social Democrats and Liberals on these appointments, the Conservatives signed a loose cooperation agreement.

What’s particularly explosive: By giving in, the Social Democrats and Liberals are giving a far-right politician a majority. And: Fitto was ultimately supported by all three far-right factions (including the AfD). The Greens in the European Parliament voted against both Raffaele Fitto and Oliver Várhelyi.

Daniel Freund, a Member of the European Parliament for the Greens, comments:

“The deal between the Conservatives, Social Democrats, and Liberals is bad for Europe because it gives Manfred Weber of the EPP the opportunity to continue striking deals with far-right parties. Far-right parties are unreliable partners. They are a threat to democracy, the rule of law, and the European Union.”

“The Social Democrats are breaking a central campaign promise: they are cooperating with enemies of Europe and post-fascists, and they are voting for the candidates from Hungary and Italy. This is an unprecedented move. Social Democrats and Liberals have been outmaneuvered by the Conservatives. A loose cooperation agreement will not prevent Manfred Weber (EPP) from repeatedly overruling them with the help of the far-right. Social-Democrats and Liberals are complicit in this breaking of the cordon sanitaire.”