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The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and
ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
minority political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
and
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
, or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region. The alliance has generally limited its membership to progressive parties; therefore, only a fraction of European regionalist parties are members of the EFA. Since 1999, the EFA and the
European Green Party The European Green Party (EGP), also referred to as European Greens, is the European political party that represents national parties from across Europe who share Green values. The European Greens works closely with the Greens–European Free ...
(EGP) have joined forces within Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
in the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
, although some EFA members have joined other groups from time to time. The EFA's youth wing is the
European Free Alliance Youth The European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy) is the youth wing of the European Free Alliance The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and ethnic minority political parties i ...
(EFAY), founded in 2000. As of 2021, four European regions are led by EFA politicians:
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
with Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party,
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
with
Jan Jambon Jan Jambon (born 26 April 1960 in Genk) is a Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) who has been serving as Minister-President of Flanders since 2019. He replaced Kris Peeters as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives ...
of the
New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). ...
, Corsica with
Gilles Simeoni Gilles Simeoni (, ; born 20 April 1967) is a lawyer in France and a politician. He was mayor of Bastia from 2014 to 2016 and has been president of the executive council of Corsica since 2015. Notably, Simeoni served as the Corsican nationalist ...
of For Corsica, and
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
with
Pere Aragonès Pere Aragonès i Garcia (; born 16 November 1982) is a Catalan lawyer and politician from Spain, serving as the President of the Government of Catalonia since 22 May 2021. He previously served between 2018 and 2021 as Vice President and Ministe ...
of the
Republican Left of Catalonia The Republican Left of Catalonia ( ca, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social-democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also i ...
.


History

Regionalists have long been represented in the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
. In the 1979 election four regionalist parties obtained seats: the Scottish National Party (SNP), the Flemish People's Union (VU), the Brussels-based Democratic Front of Francophones (FDF) and the
South Tyrolean People's Party The South Tyrolean People's Party (german: Südtiroler Volkspartei, SVP) is a regionalist and autonomist political party in South Tyrol, an autonomous province with a German-speaking majority in northern Italy. Founded on 8 May 1945, the SVP h ...
(SVP). The SNP, although being predominantly social-democratic, joined the
European Progressive Democrats The Group of European Progressive Democrats was a heterogeneous political group with seats in the European Parliament between 1973 and 1984. It was mostly composed of French Gaullists and Irish Fianna Fáil. History The Gaullists had split from ...
, a conservative group led by the French Rally for the Republic. The VU and the FDF joined the heterogeneous Technical Group of Independents, while the SVP joined the
European People's Party group The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEP ...
. In 1981 six parties (VU, the
Frisian National Party The Frisian National Party ( fy, Fryske Nasjonale Partij; nl, Friese Nationale Partij, FNP) is a Friesland, Frisian nationalist political party in the Netherlands. The FNP is mostly involved in Frisian politics. The Independent Senate Group rep ...
,
Independent Fianna Fáil Independent Fianna Fáil was a splinter republican party in the Republic of Ireland created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms Crisis (1969–1970). The party ceased to exist on 26 July 2006. It was ne ...
, the
Party of German-speaking Belgians The Party of German-speaking Belgians (german: Partei der Deutschsprachigen Belgier, PDB) was a regionalist political party active in the German-speaking Community of Belgium founded in 1971. The party was a founder member of the European Free Al ...
, the Party for the Organization of a Free Brittany and the Alsace-Lorraine National Association), plus three observers (the Union of the Corsican People, UPC, the
Occitan Party The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Oc ...
and the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, CDC), joined forces to form the European Free Alliance. Regionalist MEPs continued, however, to sit in different groups also after the 1984 election: the SNP in the Gaullist-dominated
European Democratic Alliance The European Democratic Alliance was a heterogeneous political group in the European Parliament between 1984 and 1995. It consisted mainly of deputies from the French Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR) and the Irish Fianna Fáil. The grouping h ...
; the VU, the Sardinian Action Party (PSd'Az) and Basque Solidarity (EA) in the Rainbow Group, together with Green parties; the SVP in the
European People's Party group The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes it also includes independent MEP ...
; the CDC with the Liberal Democrats; and
Herri Batasuna Herri Batasuna (; en, Popular Unity; HB) was a far-left Basque nationalist coalition in Spain. It was founded in 1978 and defined itself as abertzale, left-wing, socialist, and supported the independence of the Greater Basque Country. It was r ...
among Non-Inscrits. Only after the
1989 European Parliament election The 1989 European Parliament election was a European election held across the 12 European Community member states in June 1989. It was the third European election but the first time that Spain and Portugal voted at the same time as the other m ...
did EFA members form a united group, called
Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
like its green predecessor. It consisted of three Italian MEPs (two for Lega Lombarda and one for the PSd'Az), two Spanish MEPs (one each for the PNV and the
Andalusian Party The Andalusian Party ( es, Partido Andalucista, PA) was an Andalusian nationalist centre-left political party from Andalusia (Spain), with an important presence in provinces such as Cádiz and Seville although in the past they have stood in ot ...
, PA), one Belgian MEP (for VU), one French MEP (UPC), one British MEP (SNP) and one independent MEP from Ireland. They were joined by 4 MEPs from the Danish left-wing Eurosceptic
People's Movement against the EU The People's Movement against the EU ( da, Folkebevægelsen mod EU) is a political association in Denmark against the European Union. It was founded in 1972 as a cross-party campaign platform for a 'no' vote in Denmark's referendum on EEC members ...
, while the other regionalist parties, including the SVP, Batasuna and the
Convergence and Union Convergence and Union ( ca, Convergència i Unió, CiU; ) was a Catalan nationalist electoral alliance in Catalonia, Spain. It was a federation of two constituent parties, the larger Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and its smaller coun ...
of Catalonia (CiU) declined to join. In the
1994 European Parliament election The 1994 European Parliamentary election was a European election held across the 12 European Union member states in June 1994. This election saw the merge of the European People's Party and European Democrats, an increase in the overall numbe ...
the regionalists lost many seats. Moreover, the EFA had suspended its major affiliate, Lega Nord, for having joined forces in government with the post-fascist National Alliance. Also, the PNV chose to switch to the European People's Party (EPP). The three remaining EFA MEPs (representing the SNP, the VU and the
Canarian Coalition The Canarian Coalition ( es, Coalición Canaria, CC) is a regionalist, Canarian nationalist political party in Spain operating in the Canary Islands. The party's aim is for greater autonomy for the islands but not independence. It has been label ...
) formed a group with the French '' Énergie Radicale'' list and the Italian
Pannella List The Pannella List ( it, Lista Pannella, LP) is a liberal and libertarian association, which was also the electoral list of the Italian Radicals between 1992 and 1999, when it was replaced by the Bonino List. Its standard-bearer was Marco Panne ...
: the
European Radical Alliance The Group of the European Radical Alliance (ERA) was a heterogeneous political group with seats in the European Parliament between 1994 and 1999. It was formed by regionalist parties from the former Rainbow Group, although its largest and domin ...
. Following the
1999 European Parliament election The 1999 European Parliament election was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and L ...
, in which EFA parties did quite well, EFA elected MEPs formed a joint group with the
European Green Party The European Green Party (EGP), also referred to as European Greens, is the European political party that represents national parties from across Europe who share Green values. The European Greens works closely with the Greens–European Free ...
, under the name Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA). In the event the EFA supplied ten members: two each from the Scottish SNP, the Welsh
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...
, and the Flemish VU, and one each from the Basque PNV and EA, the Andalusian PA and the
Galician Nationalist Bloc The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( gl, Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG ) is a political alliance of left-wing Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic front". Formed in 1982, under the guidance of historical leader Xosé Man ...
(BNG). In the
2004 European Parliament election The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...
, the EFA, which had formally become a European political party, was reduced to four MEPs: two from the SNP (
Ian Hudghton Ian Stewart Hudghton (born 19 September 1951) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who was President of the SNP from 2005 to 2020. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North East Scotland (1998–1999) and its success ...
and
Alyn Smith Alyn Edward Smith (born 15 September 1973) is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stirling at the 2019 general election. He also served as a Member of the E ...
), one from
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...
(
Jill Evans Jill Evans (born 8 May 1959) is a Plaid Cymru politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Wales from 1999 to 2020. She was the first person to use the Welsh language in debate at the European Parliament. In June 199 ...
) and one from the
Republican Left of Catalonia The Republican Left of Catalonia ( ca, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social-democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also i ...
(ERC;
Bernat Joan i Marí Bernat Joan i Marí (born 22 February 1960 in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain) was a Member of the European Parliament with the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, part of the European Free Alliance and sat on the European Parliament's Committe ...
, replaced at the mid-term by MEP
Mikel Irujo Mikel Irujo Amezaga (born 6 October 1972) is a Navarrese Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is ...
of the Basque EA). They were joined by two associate members:
Tatjana Ždanoka Tatjana Ždanoka or Tatyana Zhdanok (russian: Татья́на Арка́дьевна Ждано́к, ''Tatyana Arkadyevna Zhdanok''; born Tatyana Khesin (''Хесин'') on May 8, 1950 in Riga) is a Latvian politician and a Member of the Europ ...
of
For Human Rights in United Latvia The Latvian Russian Union (LRU, lv, Latvijas Krievu savienība, russian: Русский союз Латвии, Russkiy soyuz Latvii) (LKS) is a political party in Latvia supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other Russian-speaking minorities. ...
(PCTVL) and
László Tőkés László Tőkés ( ; born 1 April 1952) is an ethnic Hungarian pastor and politician from Romania. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2007 to 2019. Tőkés served as a Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2010 to 2 ...
, an independent MEP and former member of the
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR; hu, Romániai Magyar Demokrata Szövetség, RMDSZ; ro, Uniunea Democrată Maghiară din România, UDMR) is a political party in Romania which aims to represent the significant Hungarian m ...
(UMDR). Co-operation between the EFA and the Greens continued. Following the 2008 revision of the EU Regulation that governs European political parties allowing the creation of European foundations affiliated to European political parties, the EFA established its official foundation/
think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
, the
Coppieters Foundation The Coppieters Foundation, formerly Centre Maurits Coppieters (CMC), promotes policy research at the European and international level, focusing primarily on management of cultural and linguistic diversity in complex societies, multilevel governanc ...
(CF), in September 2007. In the 2009 European Parliament election, six MEPs were returned for the EFA: two from the SNP (Ian Hudghton and Alyn Smith), one from Plaid Cymru (Jill Evans), one from the
Party of the Corsican Nation The Party of the Corsican Nation ( co, Partitu di a Nazione Corsa, PNC) is a Corsican nationalist and autonomist political party on the French island of Corsica. It was founded in Corte in 2002 by members of three nationalist parties, Union of the ...
(PNC; François Alfonsi), one from the ERC (
Oriol Junqueras Oriol Junqueras i Vies (; born 11 April 1969) is a Catalan politician and historian from Spain. A former mayor of the municipality of Sant Vicenç dels Horts in Catalonia, Junqueras served as Vice President of Catalonia from January 2016 to Octo ...
), and Tatjana Ždanoka, an individual member of the EFA from Latvia. After the election, the
New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). ...
(N-VA) also joined the EFA. The EFA subgroup thus counted seven MEPs. In the
2014 European Parliament election The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union, from 22 to 25 May 2014. It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties fielded candid ...
, EFA-affiliated parties returned twelve seats to the Parliament: four for the N-VA, two for the SNP, two for " The Left for the Right to Decide" (an electoral list primarily composed of the ERC), one for "
The Peoples Decide The Peoples Decide ( es, Los Pueblos Deciden, gl, Os Pobos Deciden, eu, Herriek Erabaki, an, Os Pueblos Deciden, ast, Los Pueblos Deciden; LPD) was a Spanish electoral list in the European Parliament election in 2014 made up from left-wing pro ...
" (an electoral list mainly comprising
EH Bildu EH Bildu, short for Euskal Herria Bildu ( en, link=yes, Basque Country Gather or Basque Country Unite) is a left-wing, Basque nationalist, pro-independence political coalition active in the Spanish autonomous communities of Basque Country, Nava ...
, a Basque coalition including EA), one for " European Spring" (an electoral list comprising the
Valencian Nationalist Bloc The Valencian Nationalist Bloc ( ca-valencia, Bloc Nacionalista Valencià, Bloc or ''BNV''; ) was a Valencian nationalist party in the Valencian Country, Spain. It was the largest party in the Coalició Compromís until 2021, when it was replaced ...
, BNV, and the Aragonese Union, ChA), one from Plaid Cymru, and one from the
Latvian Russian Union The Latvian Russian Union (LRU, lv, Latvijas Krievu savienība, russian: Русский союз Латвии, Russkiy soyuz Latvii) (LKS) is a political party in Latvia supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other Russian-speaking minorities. ...
(LKS). Due to ideological divergences with the Flemish Greens, the N-VA defected to the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group and the EH Bildu MEP joined the
European United Left–Nordic Green Left European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...
(GUE/NGL) group. Thus, EFA had seven members in the Greens/EFA group and four within ECR. In the
2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peop ...
the EFA gained a fourth seat in the United Kingdom, due to the SNP gaining a third seat to add to Plaid's one. However, the EFA suffered the loss of these seats in January 2020 due to
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
, which meant SNP and PC MEPs had to leave.


Ideology

In the Brussels declaration of 2000 the EFA codified its political principles. The EFA stands for "a Europe of Free Peoples based on the principle of subsidiarity, which believe in solidarity with each other and the peoples of the world." The EFA sees itself as an alliance of stateless peoples, striving towards recognition, autonomy, independence or wanting a proper voice in Europe. It supports European integration on basis of the subsidiarity-principle. It believes also that Europe should move away from further centralisation and works towards the formation of a "Europe of regions". It believes that regions should have more power in Europe, for instance participating in the
Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...
, when matters within their competence are discussed. It also wants to protect the
linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
and cultural diversity within the EU. The EFA broadly stands on the left wing of the political spectrum. EFA members are generally progressive, although there are some notable exceptions as the conservative
New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). ...
,
Bavaria Party The Bavaria Party (german: Bayernpartei, BP) is an autonomist, regionalist and conservative political party in the state of Bavaria, Germany. The party was founded in 1946, describes itself as patriotic Bavarian and advocates Bavarian independence ...
,
Democratic Party of Artsakh The Democratic Party of Artsakh ( hy, Արցախի ժողովրդավարական կուսակցություն; DPA, ''ԱԺԿ'') is a political party in the Republic of Artsakh. It was founded on 30 January 2005. Before that, in 2000–2005 ther ...
,
Schleswig Party The Schleswig Party ( da, Slesvigsk Parti, german: Schleswigsche Partei) is a regional political party in Denmark representing the North Schleswig Germans. History The party was established in August 1920 as the Schleswig Voters Club (german: Sc ...
and
Future of Åland The Future of Åland ( sv, Ålands Framtid) is a separatist political party on Åland. As a member of the European Free Alliance, the goal of the party is to make Åland an independent state. At the 2003 elections, the party won 6.5% of popular ...
, the Christian-democratic
Slovene Union The Slovene Union ( sl, Slovenska skupnost, SSk, it, Unione Slovena, US) is a political party in Italy representing the Slovene minority in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Its Slovenian language name means literally "Slovene Community", but th ...
, the centre-right
Liga Veneta Repubblica Liga Veneta Repubblica (''Łiga Vèneta Republica'', Venetian Republic League, LVR) is a Venetist political party in Veneto, Italy. The party maintains a mildly separatist position and campaigns for the self-government of Veneto. The party's fo ...
, the far-right
South Tyrolean Freedom South Tyrolean Freedom (german: Süd-Tiroler Freiheit, STF) is a regionalist, separatist and national-conservative political party in South Tyrol, Italy. The party, which is part of the South Tyrolean independence movement, seeks to represent th ...
and
Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania The Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania ( hu, Erdélyi Magyar Néppárt, EMNP; ro, Partidul Popular Maghiar din Transilvania, PPMT) is a List of political parties in Romania, political party representing the Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian ...
which is said to be close to
Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; hu, Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán. It was formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young ...
.


Organisation

The main organs of the EFA organisation are the General Assembly, the Bureau and the Secretariat.


General Assembly

In the General Assembly, the supreme council of the EFA, every member party has one vote.


Bureau and Secretariat

The Bureau takes care of daily affairs. It is chaired by Lorena Lopez de Lacalle ( Basque Solidarity), president of the EFA, while Jordi Solé (
Republican Left of Catalonia The Republican Left of Catalonia ( ca, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social-democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also i ...
) is secretary-general and
Anke Spoorendonk Anke Spoorendonk (born 21 September 1947 in Busdorf) is a German politician from the South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW). From 12 June 2012, until 28 June 2017 she was the Minister of Justice, Culture and European Affairs in the state gover ...
( South Schleswig Voters' Association) treasurer. The Bureau is completed by ten vice-presidents: Peggy Eriksson (
Future of Åland The Future of Åland ( sv, Ålands Framtid) is a separatist political party on Åland. As a member of the European Free Alliance, the goal of the party is to make Åland an independent state. At the 2003 elections, the party won 6.5% of popular ...
),
Jill Evans Jill Evans (born 8 May 1959) is a Plaid Cymru politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Wales from 1999 to 2020. She was the first person to use the Welsh language in debate at the European Parliament. In June 199 ...
(
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...
), Fernando Fuente Cortina ( More—Commitment), David Grosclaude (
Occitan Party The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Oc ...
), Wouter Patho (
New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). ...
), Frank de Boer (
Frisian National Party The Frisian National Party ( fy, Fryske Nasjonale Partij; nl, Friese Nationale Partij, FNP) is a Friesland, Frisian nationalist political party in the Netherlands. The FNP is mostly involved in Frisian politics. The Independent Senate Group rep ...
), Patrik Peroša (The Olive Tree – Slovene Istria Party) and Livia Ceccaldi-Volpei (Femu à Corsica).


Member parties

Before becoming a member party, an organisation needs to have been an observer of the EFA for at least one year. Only one member party per region is allowed. If a second party from a region wants to join the EFA, the first party needs to agree, at which point these two parties will then form a common delegation with one vote. The EFA also recognises friends of the EFA, a special status for regionalist parties outside of the European Union. The following is the list of EFA members and former members.


Full members


Individual Members


Suspended Members


Former members


See also

*
List of regional and minority parties in Europe This is a list of regional and minority parties in Europe. Most of them are regionalist, some are autonomist Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theor ...
*
List of active separatist movements in Europe This is a list of currently active separatist movements in Europe. Separatism often refers to full political secession, though separatist movements may seek nothing more than greater autonomy or to be recognised as a national minority. What i ...
*
Political parties of minorities An ethnic party is a political party that overtly presents itself as the champion of one ethnic group or sets of ethnic groups. Ethnic parties make such representation central to their voter mobilization strategy. An alternate designation is 'Pol ...
*
Regionalism (politics) Regionalism is a political ideology that seeks to increase the political power, influence, and/or self-determination of the people of one or more subnational regions. It focuses on the "development of a political or social system based on one o ...


References


External links

*
The Greens/EFA official websiteEFA in the European ParliamentEuropean Free Alliance YouthDeclaration of Brussels of 9 November 2000Toward a Europe of diversity – Manifesto for the 2004 EP electionVision for a People's Europe – Manifesto for the 2009 EP electionIt's time for self-determination for all the peoples of Europe – Manifesto for the 2014 EP election
*
Eric Defoort Eric Defoort (27 June 1943 in Ypres – 16 or 17 December 2016) was a Flemish Belgian politician and president of the European Free Alliance. Between 2007 and 2009, Defoort was the president of the Flemish Popular Movement (Vlaamse Volksbeweging ...
(editor),
The European Free Alliance: The voice of nations and peoples of Europe. 30 years EFA
', 2011 *Tudi Kernalegenn,
The internationalism of the EFA
', European Free Alliance, 2011 *Peter Lynch,
Organising for a Europe of the Regions: The European Free Alliance-DPPE and Political Representation in the European Union
', 2007 {{Authority control Pan-European political parties Politics of Europe 1981 establishments in Belgium