By Martin Banks - 10th November 2009
The party can still make an impact even if we will not benefit from EU funding
Nick Griffin
A new pan-European alliance of far-right political parties will be launched in parliament later this week.
The alliance was unable to muster the minimum membership of seven member states which is required to form a pan-European party under EU funding rules.
It currently has members from six countries, including the UK, France, Belgium, Italy, Hungary and Austria.
Under parliamentary rules, the pan-European party would have had to be registered by 1 October in order to qualify for EU funding for the coming 12 months.
Depending on the number of MEPs who signed up to it, the party could have qualified for up to €1m in funding.
Nick Griffin, whose British National party is one of those which has signed up to the new party, admitted, however, that it had been unable to meet the necessary deadline.
But he said the aim was still to set up a party, to be called the Alliance of European National Movements.
"The only difference is that we will not have EU funding which I suppose will save the taxpayer a bob or two," he said.
The group will be formally announced at a news conference in parliament on Thursday.
Griffin, who will attend the event, said, "We missed the deadline this year but still intend to form a Europe-wide alliance of like-minded parties. We have support from six member states which is still one short of the number required but there is nothing to stop us still establishing a party.
"The party can still make an impact even if we will not benefit from EU funding."
Its members, who also include France's National Front, have agreed to abide by a declaration of common goals drafted by the far-right leader.
The coalition has pledged to oppose "supranational bodies like the EU which seek to limit the rights of individual countries".
He said each of the parties will submit a representative to a presidency body that will coordinate decisions. The presidency will then elect a chief, leading to speculation over a role for Griffin.
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