The Dutch Farmers’ Party (BBB) announced on Friday (15 December) that they will join the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, picking a former EPP policy advisor as their lead candidate for the EU elections.
The farmers’ protest party shook up the political landscape in the Netherlands on 15 March, emerging as the big winner in provincial elections that determine the make-up of the Senate, scoring 15 out of 75 seats.
Despite the party performing worse in the national elections, winning only seven out of 150 seats, they are playing a key role in the ongoing Dutch coalition negotiations to form a right-wing cabinet with far-right PVV.
The decision to join the EPP comes after months of uncertainty and speculation, with the party holding talks with the liberals (Renew), national-conservative ECR, and EPP.
“We feel very much at home at the EPP. We experience the most connection here in terms of content, but also in terms of DNA and core values,” stated the freshly-chosen lead candidate, Sander Smit.
Smit is an experienced player within the European Parliament, having worked for the Dutch delegation in the EPP group for 8.5 years in the areas of agriculture, rural, development, environment, climate and fisheries, among others.
Until BBB’s decision, the six-MEP Dutch delegation was solely composed of the centre-right Dutch Christian-Democrats (CDA) – the party of the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra – and the smaller Christian Union (CU) centrist party.
Another newcomer party, the centre-right NSC led by Peter Omtzigt, formerly a member of CDA, has expressed its intention to also join the EPP.
Altogether, this brings six MEPs to the Parliament’s centre-right force, one from BBB and five from NSC, according to Euractiv partner Europe Elects’ projections, though all the current EPP members from the CDA and CU are projected to lose their seats.
Farmers’ advocates
The move by BBB follows increased attempts by EPP to win the farmers’ vote and brand itself as ‘the farmer’s party’ ahead of the EU elections.
In May, the party voted on a resolution named ‘European Farmers’ Deal’ during a congress, a clear reference to the EU’s sustainability flagship strategy, the Green Deal.
“The EPP is and will continue to be the voice and defender of European farmers and our rural communities,” the resolution read.
Such a move has caused a rift with other forces in the Parliament, namely the liberals, socialists and Greens, due to the group’s positioning in key Green legislation.
In July, the EPP tried to undermine the Nature Restoration Law, a flagship law part of the European Green Deal, arguing the law would harm food production and the livelihoods of farmers, foresters and fishers.
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
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