WRITTEN QUESTION E-0819/01 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Coalition governments incorporating extreme right-wing parties.
Date: 2001-03-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Austria, Italy, extreme right, political coalition, politics

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/93

Hence, Europe will shortly be faced with a political dilemma: is the Union prepared to apply the same
criteria to the larger Member States? Last tear the Austrian FP(cid:214) formed a coalition with the conservative
(cid:214)VP. The fact that a populist party with a xenophobic reputation was able to come to power in an EU
Member State caused an upheaval amongst the other fourteen Member States.

If an extreme right-wing party, the Alleanza Nazionale, forms part of the government after the next
elections in Italy, will the Council apply the same measures that were applied on the formation of the
(cid:214)VP-FP(cid:214) coalition in Austria? If not, why is the Council applying double standards to the formation of
a government coalition with an extreme right-wing party in Austria (FP(cid:214)), on the one hand, and Italy
(Alleanza Nazionale), on the other?

(2001/C 340 E/108)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0819/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Coalition governments incorporating extreme right-wing parties

If the leader of Forza Italia and PPE Member of the European Parliament Silvio Berlusconi is elected as the
new prime minister of Italy, it will become clear whether the European Union is consistent in its attitude
towards Member States. The European Union is in danger of adopting double standards. It is beginning to
look as if there is one rule for the big Member States and another for the small ones. In the next few
months we shall discover whether this is indeed the case.

Forza Italia can only come to power in alliance with two coalition partners, both of which have important
elements in common with J(cid:246)rg Haider(cid:146)s FP(cid:214) in Austria. One of them is Umberto Bossi(cid:146)s Lega Nord. On
the margins of the NATO summit on Wednesday, 28 February, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs
referred to the Lega Nord(cid:146)s leader as (cid:145)a fascist(cid:146).

Thus Europe will shortly face a political dilemma: is the Union prepared to apply the same standards to
medium-sized and large Member States? Last year the Austrian FP(cid:214) formed a coalition with the
conservative (cid:214)VP. The other 14 Member States were shocked to see a populist party with a reputation for
xenophobia come to power in an EU Member State. Austria was subjected to a political sanctions regime
which involved suspending bilateral diplomatic contacts.

Will the Council apply the same standards if a party whose leader has been described by the Belgian
Minister of Foreign Affairs as (cid:145)a fascist(cid:146), namely the Lega Nord, forms part of the Italian Government after
the forthcoming elections, by analogy with the measures adopted upon the formation of the (cid:214)VP-FP(cid:214)
coalition in Austria? If not, why is the Council applying double standards to the formation of coalition
governments which include a party of the extreme right in Austria (FP(cid:214)) on the one hand and Italy
(Lega Nord) on the other?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0780/01 and E-0819/01

(13 July 2001)

The Council reminds the Honourable Member that the measures concerning Austria to which he refers
were decided by the governments of 14 Member States and not by the Council.