Italian 5 Star Movement seeks to join Left in European Parliament

This article was originally published in English

The Five Star Movement, the Italian populist party led by former prime minister Giuseppe Conte, is seeking to end its year-long absence from European politics by joining the Left, the most left-wing party in the European Parliament.

The Left includes members such as La France Insoumise (LFI), Die Linke (Germany), Podemos (Spain), Syriza (Greece) and Sinn Féin (Ireland), all of which share varying degrees of Euroscepticism.

In the June elections, the pan-European family won 39 seats in the chamber, two more than previously. The 5 Star Movement, also known as M5S (Movimento 5 Stelle), wants to add its eight lawmakers to the total.

The news was confirmed on Wednesday, when the Left held its constituent meeting behind closed doors in Brussels.

But at the end of the meeting, Manon Aubry, co-president of the Left, said that the decision on membership had not yet been taken and that it would be postponed until Thursday, when the bureau is expected to deliberate on the issue.

“The door is open but there are clear political conditions,” Ms. Aubry told reporters.

These conditions are set out in the political affiliation declaration that any delegation or individual member wishing to join the group must sign, a spokesperson told Euronews.

The statement “contains the fundamental values ​​of the Left”, explained the spokesperson, such as respect for international law, asylum policy, climate justice and feminism.

Thursday’s meeting will start at 10:00 CET and will include representatives of the 5 Star Movement. A decision is expected by 17:00 CET.

“We need to show that we are committed. It is not just about signing the declaration: our MEPs want to be convinced.”a Left source told Euronews.

What is the Left?

Known until 2021 as GUE/NGL, the Left advocates for fair taxation, workers’ rights, income equality, environmental sustainability and animal welfare. It is fiercely opposed to austerity policies, neoliberalism, the privatisation of public services and immigration rules seen as repressive and unfair to asylum seekers.

Despite its progressive outlook, the Left has taken a critical stance on the EU’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, opposing the provision of lethal equipment that the Ukrainian military desperately needs to repel the invading forces.

The Five Star Movement shares this position and has openly criticized Western allies for continuing to supply weapons to the war-torn nation, arguing that money used to buy ammunition should instead be redirected to funding social services.

“We must recognize that the idea of ​​achieving a military victory over Russia has been a failure”, said Mr. Conte in May. “We must focus our resources not on this mad race for rearmament, but on protecting the social rights of citizens.”

Before turning to the Left, the Five Star Movement had tried several times (and unsuccessfully) to join the Greens, but its ambiguous positions on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict were considered unpleasant by the environmentally conscious party.