By Martin Banks - 18th January 2007
Socialist and Green MEPs have launched a challenge to strip a new far-right group in the European Parliament of its funding.
The constitutional affairs committee has been asked to consider stripping the group, Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty, of its status because it is claimed it does not have a ‘consistent’ programme.
The grouping, which could be entitled to gain about 1.3m euros in EU funds, must prove that it has shared policies before such funding is approved.
Some MEPs have also said they will seek to stop the group from gaining the two committee vice-chairmanships to which it would normally be entitled.
Traditionally, these posts are divided up under the D’Hondt system, which allocates positions according to the size of the political groups.
Such appointments still need to be approved in a vote - normally a formality - but centre-left and Green MEPs have vowed to buck convention in this case.
A parliament spokesman said: “The assembly’s rules of procedures state that in order to qualify for funding a group must have a common platform."
“In the case of ITS, this has been questioned and the constitutional affairs committee has been asked to look into the matter.”
In response, one of the group’s members, Alessandra Mussolini - Benito Mussolini's granddaughter - said the group has “far more consistency than many others”.
The group, formally created in Strasbourg this week, is led by French MEP Bruno Gollnisch, deputy leader of Jean-Marie Le Pen’s National Front.
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