A political investigation by the European Parliament-based Renew Europe Group is to be undertaken to evaluate the ‘Liberal’ credentials of the Czech ANO party.
The move comes after recent changes in the ANO made it an increasingly uncomfortable ally for the Liberals in the pro-European Union Renew Group.
The investigative team will be made up of members of the permanent party branch of the Renew Group, which still retains its former title ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe).
An acronym for “Action of Dissatisfied Citizens” in the Czech language, ANO was initially set up as a populist, anti-establishment yet centrist party in 2011. Its popularity saw its leader, Andrej Babiš, installed as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021.
Among those slated to be in the ALDE investigation team are Annelou van Egmond, a member of the Dutch D66 party, former Danish MP and MEP Eva Kjer Hansen and Romania’s former deputy prime minister Dan Barna.
According to an ALDE official, the mission will be to “speak to ANO representatives and experts to examine ANO’s relationship to Europe, rule of law, transparency, migration and minorities”. The investigation is set to take place in September.
Babiš has appeared to be moving to the Right for some time. In 2020, he tweeted an image of himself wearing a Czech version of the red baseball cap sported by former US President Donald Trump, with the words “Strong Czechia” written on it.
“I have often disagreed with [Trump],” he wrote, “mainly with his behaviour, but what I do agree with completely is having a strong nation-state that is not under the influence of any great power. And also with the fight against illegal migration.”
Na dnešní Čau lidi jsem si vzal čepici Silné Česko, ke které mě inspiroval Trump. Často jsem s ním nesouhlasil, hlavně s jeho vystupováním, ale s čím souhlasím naprosto, je silný národní stát, který není pod vlivem žádné velmoci. A taky s bojem proti ilegální migraci. pic.twitter.com/52luWnhprF
— Andrej Babiš (@AndrejBabis) November 8, 2020
However, tensions with his Liberal allies came to head this spring when he attended a US-hosted Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest. Speaking alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán, he told attendees that “Europe is being held hostage by climate activists” and that “we need politicians who stand up for a Europe of nations”.
At the end of May, ALDE released a statement unequivocally condemning CPAC and the involvement of Babiš. The party wrote that CPAC seeks “to undermine … individual rights and freedoms” and does so “as its founding mission”.
Speaking to Euractiv, two ANO MEPs said they no longer felt comfortable in the party and would probably not stand for ANO in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
While a split seems increasingly inevitable, observers say it does not bode well for the Renew Group. It is already forecast to lose many seats, while ANO, for its part, is currently the highest polling party in the Czech Republic.
