European Free Alliance

Regionalists have long been represented in the European Parliament. In the 1979 election four regionalist parties obtained seats: the Scottish National Party (SNP), the Flemish People's Union (VU), the Brussels-based Democratic Front of Francophones (FDF) and the South Tyrolean People's Party (SVP). The SNP, although being predominantly social-democratic, joined the European Progressive Democrats, a conservative group led by the French Rally for the Republic. The VU and the FDF joined the heterogeneous Technical Group of Independents, while the SVP joined the European People's Party group.[6]

In 1981 six parties (VU, the Frisian National Party, Independent Fianna Fáil, the Party of German-speaking Belgians, the Party for the Organization of a Free Brittany and the Alsace-Lorraine National Association), plus three observers (the Union of the Corsican People, UPC, the Occitan Party and the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, CDC), joined forces to form the European Free Alliance.[7][8] Regionalist MEPs continued, however, to sit in different groups also after the 1984 election: the SNP in the Gaullist-dominated European Democratic Alliance; the VU, the Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az) and Basque Solidarity (EA) in the Rainbow Group, together with Green parties; the SVP in the European People's Party group; the CDC with the Liberal Democrats; and Batasuna among Non-Inscrits.[9]

Only after the 1989 European Parliament election did EFA members form a united group, called Rainbow like its green predecessor. It consisted of three Italian MEPs (two for Lega Lombarda and one for the PSd'Az), two Spanish MEPs (one each for the PNV and the Andalusian Party, PA), one Belgian MEP (for VU), one French MEP (UPC), one British MEP (SNP) and one independent MEP from Ireland. They were joined by 4 MEPs from the Danish left-wing Eurosceptic People's Movement against the EU, while the other regionalist parties, including the SVP, Batasuna and the Convergence and Union of Catalonia (CiU) declined to join.[10]

In the 1994 European Parliament election the regionalists lost many seats. Moreover, the EFA had suspended its major affiliate, Lega Nord, for having joined forces in government with the post-fascist National Alliance. Also, the PNV chose to switch to the European People's Party (EPP). The three remaining EFA MEPs (representing the SNP, the VU and the Canarian Coalition) formed a group with the French Énergie Radicale list and the Italian Pannella List: the European Radical Alliance.[11]

Following the 1999 European Parliament election, in which EFA parties did quite well, EFA elected MEPs formed a joint group with the European Green Party, under the name Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA). In the event the EFA supplied ten members: two each from the Scottish SNP, the Welsh Plaid Cymru, and the Flemish VU, and one each from the Basque PNV and EA, the Andalusian PA and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG).[12]

In the 2004 European Parliament election, the EFA, which had formally become a European political party,[13] was reduced to four MEPs: two from the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one from Plaid Cymru (Jill Evans) and one from the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC; Bernat Joan i Marí, replaced at the mid-term by MEP Mikel Irujo of the Basque EA). They were joined by two associate members: Tatjana Ždanoka of For Human Rights in United Latvia (PCTVL) and László Tőkés, an independent MEP and former member of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UMDR). Co-operation between the EFA and the Greens continued.

Following the 2008 revision of the EU Regulation that governs European political parties allowing the creation of European foundations affiliated to European political parties, the EFA established its official foundation/think tank, the Coppieters Foundation (CF), in September 2007.[14]

In the 2009 European Parliament election, six MEPs were returned for the EFA: two from the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one from Plaid Cymru (Jill Evans), one from the Party of the Corsican Nation (PNC; François Alfonsi), one from the ERC (Oriol Junqueras), and Tatjana Ždanoka, an individual member of the EFA from Latvia. After the election, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) also joined the EFA. The EFA subgroup thus counted seven MEPs.[15]

In the 2014 European Parliament election, EFA-affiliated parties returned twelve seats to the Parliament: four for the N-VA, two for the SNP, two for "The Left for the Right to Decide" (an electoral list primarily composed of the ERC), one for "The Peoples Decide" (an electoral list maily comprising EH Bildu, a Basque coalition including EA), one for "European Spring" (an electoral list comprising the Valencian Nationalist Bloc, BNV, and the Aragonese Union, ChA), one from Plaid Cymru, and one from the Latvian Russian Union (LKS). Due to ideological divergences with the Flemish Greens,[16] the N-VA defected to the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group[17][18] and the EH Bildu MEP joined the European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) group. Thus, EFA had seven members in the Greens/EFA group and four within ECR.[19]

In the 2019 European Parliament election the EFA gained a fourth seat in the United Kingdom, due to the SNP gaining a third seat to add to Plaid Cymru's one. However, the EFA suffered the loss of these seats later in 2019 due to Brexit, which meant SNP and PC MEPs had to leave.

In the Brussels declaration of 2000 the EFA codified its political principles. The EFA stands for "a Europe of Free Peoples based on the principle of subsidiarity, which believe in solidarity with each other and the peoples of the world."[20] The EFA sees itself as an alliance of stateless peoples, striving towards recognition, autonomy, independence or wanting a proper voice in Europe. It supports European integration on basis of the subsidiarity-principle. It believes also that Europe should move away from further centralisation and works towards the formation of a "Europe of regions". It believes that regions should have more power in Europe, for instance participating in the Council of the European Union, when matters within their competence are discussed. It also wants to protect the linguistic and cultural diversity within the EU.

The EFA broadly stands on the left-wing of the political spectrum.[21][22] The Brussels declaration emphasises the protection of human rights, sustainable development and social justice. In 2007 the EFA congress in Bilbao added several progressive principles to the declaration, including a commitment to fight against racism, antisemitism, discrimination, xenophobia and Islamophobia, and a commitment to get full citizenship for immigrants, including voting rights.

EFA members are generally progressive, although there are some notable exceptions as the conservative New Flemish Alliance, Bavaria Party, Schleswig Party and Future of Åland, the Christian-democratic Slovene Union, the centre-right Liga Veneta Repubblica and the far-right[23][24][25][26] South Tyrolean Freedom.

The main organs of the EFA organisation are the General Assembly, the Bureau and the Secretariat.

Full members

Current state	Party	Region / Constituency	MEPs
Azerbaijan	Democratic Party of Artsakh[28][29]	Ethnic Armenians  Republic of Artsakh	Not in the EU.
Austria	Unity List	Ethnic Slovenes	–
Belgium	New Flemish Alliance	Flanders	3 / 21 [30] for ECR
Bulgaria	United Macedonian Organization Ilinden–Pirin	Ethnic Macedonians	–
Croatia	List for Rijeka	Rijeka	–
Czech Republic	Moravian Land Movement	Moravia	–
Denmark	Schleswig Party	Ethnic Germans	–
Finland	Future of Åland	Åland	–
France	Breton Democratic Union	Brittany	–
	Catalan Unity	Catalan Countries	–
	Let's Do Corsica	Corsica	–
	Occitan Party	Occitania	–
	Our Land	Alsace	–
	Party of the Corsican Nation	Corsica	1 / 63 [30]
	Savoy Region Movement	Savoy	–
	Together for Corsica	Corsica
Germany	Bavaria Party	Bavaria	–
	Lusatian Alliance	Lusatia / Sorbs	–
	South Schleswig Voters' Association	Ethnic Danes / Frisians	–
Greece	Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace	Ethnic Turks	–
	Rainbow	Ethnic Macedonians	–
Italy	Autonomy Liberty Participation Ecology	Aosta Valley	–
	Friulian Homeland	Friuli	–
	Pact for Autonomy	Friuli Venezia Giulia	–
	Pro Lombardy Independence	Lombardy	–
	Slovene Union	Ethnic Slovenes	–
	South Tyrolean Freedom	South Tyrol	–
	Venetian Republic League	Veneto	–
	The Other South	Southern Italy	–
Latvia	Latvian Russian Union	Ethnic Russians / Latgalians	1 / 8 [30]
Netherlands	Frisian National Party	Frisians /  Friesland	–
Poland	Kashubian Unity[31]	Kashubia / Kashubians	–
	Silesian Autonomy Movement	Upper Silesia / ethnic Germans	–
Romania	Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania	Ethnic Hungarians	–
Serbia	League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina[31]	Vojvodina	Not in the EU.
Slovenia	Slovene Istria Party	Slovene Istria	–
Slovakia	Hungarian Christian Democratic Association	Ethnic Hungarians	–
Spain	Basque Solidarity	Basque Country	–
	Galician Nationalist Bloc	Galicia	–
	New Canaries	Canary Islands	–
	Republican Left of Catalonia	Catalonia / Catalan Countries	2 / 54 [30]
	Socialist Party of Majorca	Balearic Islands / Catalan Countries	–
	Valencian Nationalist Bloc	Valencian Community / Catalan Countries	–
United Kingdom	Mebyon Kernow	Cornwall	Not in the EU.
	Plaid Cymru	Wales	Not in the EU.
	Scottish National Party	Scotland	Not in the EU.
	Yorkshire Party[32]	Yorkshire	Not in the EU.

Former members

Current state	Party	Region / Constituency	Notes
Belgium	People's Union	Flanders	Split into the New Flemish Alliance and Spirit
	Social Liberal Party	Flanders	Ceased activity in 2009
	Walloon Popular Rally	Wallonia	Ceased activity as party in 2011
	Party of German-speaking Belgians	German Community	Merged into ProDG in 2008
	Pro German-speaking Community	German Community	No longer a member
Czech Republic	Moravané	Moravia	No longer a member
France	Alsace-Lorraine National Association	Alsace /  Lorraine	Ceased activity
	Union of the Corsican People	Corsica	Merged into the PNC in 2002
	Party for the Organization of a Free Brittany	Brittany	Ceased activity in 2000
	Savoyan League	Savoy	Ceased activity in 2012
Germany	The Frisians	Frisians / East Frisia	No longer a member in 2018
Hungary	Renewed Roma Union Party of Hungary	Romani people	Ceased activity in 2012
Ireland	Independent Fianna Fáil	United Ireland	Ceased activity in 2006
Italy	Lombard League	Lombardy	Joined Lega Nord in 1991
	Venetian League	Veneto	Joined Lega Nord in 1991
	Northern League	Padania	Suspended in 1994, left in 1996 and joined ELDR
	Emilian Free Alliance	Emilia	Ceased activity in 2010
	Movement for the Independence of Sicily	Sicily	No longer a member
	Valdostan Union	Aosta Valley	Expelled in 2007 after lack of activity in EFA structures
	Union for South Tyrol	South Tyrol	Expelled in 2008 for opposition to the Bilbao declaration
	Sardinian Action Party	Sardinia	Expelled in 2020 for allying with the League
Lithuania	Lithuanian Polish People's Party	Ethnic Poles	Ceased activity in 2010
Romania	Transilvania–Banat League	Transylvania / Banat	Ceased activity
Slovakia	Hungarian Federalist Party	Ethnic Hungarians	Banned in 2005[33]
Spain	Aragonese Union	Aragon	No longer a member in 2018
	Aralar Party	Basque Country	Dissolved in 2017
	Democratic Convergence of Catalonia	Catalonia / Catalan Countries	Joined the LDR Group in 1987
	Canarian Coalition	Canary Islands	Left in 1999 and joined the ELDR Group
	Basque Nationalist Party	Basque Country	Left in 2004 and joined the EDP
	Andalusian Party	Andalusia	Dissolved in 2015

• List of regional and minority parties in Europe
• List of active separatist movements in Europe
• Political parties of minorities
• Regionalism (politics)

• Official website
• The Greens/EFA official website
• EFA in the European Parliament
• European Free Alliance Youth
• Declaration of Brussels of 9 November 2000
• Toward a Europe of diversity – Manifesto for the 2004 EP election
• Vision for a People's Europe – Manifesto for the 2009 EP election
• It's time for self-determination for all the peoples of Europe – Manifesto for the 2014 EP election
• Eric Defoort (editor), The European Free Alliance: The voice of nations and peoples of Europe. 30 years EFA, 2011
• Tudi Kernalegenn, The internationalism of the EFA, European Free Alliance, 2011
• Peter Lynch, Organising for a Europe of the Regions: The European Free Alliance-DPPE and Political Representation in the European Union, 2007