NATIONAL PARTIES IN EU 28 OUTSIDE THE LOOP

346 national parties (without current MEPs) in EU 28 have published Lists for the next European elections. The majority of them are small parties and they won’t get  enough votes for any MEP to represent them but the European elections provide them nevertheless an opportunity to make their voice heard.

Countries with the most parties include in descending order:

1. France: 39 parties
2. Czech Republic: 34 parties
3. Spain: 30 parties
4. United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: 24 parties
5. Croatia: 24 parties
6. Slovakia: 23 parties
7. Germany: 19 parties
8. Bulgaria: 17 parties
9. Portugal: 12 parties
10. Slovenia: 11 parties
11. Sweden: 11 parties
12. Netherlands: 10 parties
13. Belgium: 10 parties
14. Lithuania: 9 parties
15. Latvia: 9 parties
16. Cyprus: 9 parties
17. Romania: 9 parties
18. Finland: 8 parties
19. Greece: 8 parties
20. Ireland: 7 parties
21. Estonia : 6 parties
22. Hungary : 5 parties
23. Luxembourg : 5 parties
24. Malta
25. Poland : 5 parties
26. Austria: 2 parties
27. Italy: 2 parties
28. Denmark : 1 party

These parties are labelled as follows:

agrarian; altruistic; animal rights; anti-corruption; anti-EU;  anti-immigration party; centre right ; centre-left nationalist-regionalist; centre-left; centre-left regionalist; centre-right; centre-right populist ; centre-right regionalist; centrist agrarian; centrist citizens’; centrist ecologist; centrist ethnic; centrist; centrist progressive; Christian democracy; Christian; citizen-based; citizen-based movement; citizens’ movement / anti-establishment party: classical economic liberal; classical liberal / objectivist; classical liberal and libertarian; classical liberal; communist; conservative ethnic; conservative Eurosceptic; conservative evangelical; conservative nationalist; conservative; conservative pro-family; conservative values; conservative/Christian democratic; democratic federalists; direct democracy and freedom of speech; ecologist; environmentalist, anti-corruption; Esperanto; EU Withdrawal; European federalist; Eurosceptic; Eurosceptic religious-conservative movement; Sovereignist; extreme-right; far left anti-EU; far-left; far-left Trotskyite; far-right libertarian; far-right nationalist; far-right; fascist; feminist; green; green/liberal; green/social liberal and regionalist; left-wing anti-austerity; left-wing green; left-wing; left-wing populist; left-wing regionalist; liberal conservative Eurosceptic; liberal conservative; liberal feminist; liberal; liberal pro-European; libertarian; libertarian, Eurosceptic; localist; Marxist–Leninist; monarchist: national conservative; nationalist conservative favouring direct democracy; nationalist; nationalist, religious conservative; pensioners’ right; pirate; populist; populist pro-European; populist, anti-corruption group; pro-European social democratic; progressive nationalist; pro-Russia, centre-left; radical left-wing; regional right-wing; regionalist Christian democratic; regionalist; regionalist-nationalist; religious; right wing Christian democratic; right-wing conservative; right-wing nationalist; right-wing; right-wing populist; right-wing regionalist; Roma; radical centrist; separatist; social conservative; social democratic; social democratic/social liberal; social liberal; socially conservative; withdrawal from the European Union; women’s rights; youth-oriented progressive.

This long listing provides an interesting view of the political landscape in EU 28 and although the majority of these parties aren’t linked to the traditional parties (although some are members of European parties) they must be taken into account because they impact the balance of power between centre-right and centre-left parties at both national and European level. For example, some like the Five Star Movement (M5S) the Italian populist, environmentalist, anti-corruption movement is expected to do well in the next European elections.