French MEP Laurent Castillo, a member of the European Parliament’s centre-right European People’s Party, will join the far-right Patriots, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Euractiv.
The move does not come as a surprise as Castillo belongs to the Union of the Right for the Republic in France, a far-right political party formed by Eric Ciotti, who turned his back on the French centre-right to band together with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.
His defection will take the number of French MEPs in the EPP down to just five. The French wing of the EPP has been a thorn in the group’s side in the past year, refusing to campaign for Ursula von der Leyen to win a second term as Commission president and rallying against the Mercosur trade deal.
Four of its members, including Castillo, even voted to bring down von der Leyen’s Commission in a no-confidence vote put forward by the National Rally’s top MEP Jordan Bardella last year.
“If he joins us, it’s very good news since he’s someone who defends our positions and whom we esteem highly,” said National Rally MEP Thierry Mariani.
Castillo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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