About: Marine Le Pen
Le Pen’s Bulgarian ally under the spotlight for cross-border medicine trafficking
Vesselin Mareshki gained international prominence when French far-right leader Marine le Pen chose him as her political ally in Bulgaria. But things started to go wrong when Mareshki lost the European elections in May. Now, judges have recognised him as the mastermind of a cross-border network of medicine traffickers.
Le Pen hails EU ‘way of life’ job as victory on path to Élysée
French far-right opposition leader Marine Le Pen waded into controversy over the appointment of an EU Commissioner for "protecting the European way of life", endorsing a move that has stoked concern about rising populism across the continent.
The far-right’s influence in Europe is much greater than its new EU Parliamentary group suggests
Next week, for the first time, the EU will have a major far-right political grouping in the European Parliament. And although it will only rank fifth in size, its influence reaches well beyond the ballot box, writes Faisal Al Yafai.
Far-right wants to be involved in next Parliament’s power-sharing
Doubled in size compared to the last legislature, the newly formed nationalist group Identity and Democracy (ID) is now eager to capitalise on its success and get a share of high-level roles in the European Parliament’s Bureau and committees.
Post-Brexit Parliament: Winners and losers
Brexit is set to change the shape of the new European Parliament, as seats will be redistributed among the remaining 27 member states in November if the current deadline is respected. Here are some of the winners and losers.
Professor: Marine Le Pen has more red lines than Salvini
Marine Le Pen will be very cautious in doing business with parties who clearly are anti-Semitic and “she probably had even more red lines than [Italy's Matteo] Salvini on this”, Dr Christian Lequesne told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.
Bulgaria’s Borissov wins despite scandals
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s GERB party (EPP-affiliated) won the European elections on Sunday (26 May), despite a number of scandals in which it was involved in recent months.
Pro-EU parties keep populist rise in check as tough coalition talks begin
The conservative European People's Party once again won the most seats in the European Parliament after EU elections on Sunday (26 May) but will face difficulties building a controlling majority as the Greens, the Liberals and the far-right posted big gains, reflecting growing political polarisation in the 28-country bloc.
French far-right tops poll, EU vote turns into Le Pen/Macron duel
Support in France has risen for both Marine Le Pen’s far-right party and President Emmanuel Macron’s candidates three days before voting in the European parliament elections, an opinion poll showed.
Fact-check: Do the polls indicate a win for Le Pen’s Rassemblement National?
Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche appear to be neck and neck in the European election polls but Macron's party still retains a statistical advantage. But media coverage appears to be hailing a possible victory for Rassemblement National, rather than for Macron's party. EURACTIV France reports.
Austrian far-right ministers to resign en masse amid ‘Ibiza-gate’ fallout
All remaining ministers from Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) are to resign, a party spokesman said Monday (20 May), after one of them, Interior Minister Herbert Kickl, was fired in the fallout from a corruption scandal that has brought down the government.
European mainstream politicians see hope in downfall of Austrian far right leader
Politicians from Europe's mainstream parties called on voters to stand against the far right, after a video sting brought down the leader of Austria's Freedom Party (FPÖ), hurting the momentum of nationalists days before a European parliamentary election.
Bannon presence raises hackles in France ahead of Europe polls
Political tensions soared in France Sunday (19 May) a week ahead of tightly-contested European elections, with the ruling party of President Emmanuel Macron expressing unease over the presence of Donald Trump's controversial ex-strategist Steve Bannon.
Austria scandal overshadows Salvini’s European nationalist rally
Italian populist leader Matteo Salvini on Saturday (18 May) gathered Europe's disparate nationalists for a unifying rally overshadowed by a major corruption scandal shaking Austria's far-right coalition.
Digital Brief: Estonia Special
This week, EURACTIV Digital has been in Estonia, talking to political officials, startup entrepreneurs, and purveyors of Estonia's digital revolution, as a means to map out the country's future as the EU's tech powerhouse.
Estonian President hits out at ‘white supremacist’ display with Le Pen
The "white supremacist" views held by some Parliamentarians do not represent the views of the Estonian people, President Kersti Kaljulaid insisted on Wednesday (15 May) after populist MPs were pictured alongside France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen’s pro-Kremlin stance creates friction with Estonian populist hosts
Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's Rassemblement National (RN), arrives in Tallinn today (14 May) as part of a "European tour" to drum up support for the far-right in the upcoming EU elections.
Europe’s far-right touts ‘new European harmony’ in EU vote
Marine Le Pen, head of France’s National Rally party, on Thursday (25 April) said Europe’s populist far-right parties are offering a “new European harmony” to voters in European parliament elections next month. Le Pen appeared alongside Dutch populist Geert Wilders...
Far-right leaders gather in Prague ahead of EU vote
Prague will on Thursday (24 April) host a meeting of populist far-right party leaders seeking unprecedented success in European elections next month following a steep rise of anti-EU movements across Europe.
German far-right AfD party invites Bannon to Berlin
Germany's far-right party AfD has invited Donald Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon to a media conference in Berlin next month.
Le Pen’s Rassemblement National revises stance towards EU and the euro
Le Pen's party is no longer making calls to exit the EU or abandon the euro. Instead, the party is attempting to renew itself with a nationalist but locally anchored narrative. EURACTIV France reports.
European elections in France, in the shadow of national politics
President Emmanuel Macron's call for a "renewal of Europe" made a splash in the media but got a muted reaction from other national leaders. Henrik Uterwedde explains whether Macron's European political offensive is in fact a tactical move, aimed to resonate within France as well as beyond its borders.
Smileys and selfies: Europe’s far-right tries to end divisions
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini sends texts with smileys to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and posts selfies with Austrian far-right politician Heinz-Christian Strache.