Macron’s top MEP faces EU Parliament leadership challenge

BRUSSELS — French President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal political grouping in the European Parliament is bracing for a leadership battle.

Right-leaning MEPs in the Renew Europe group met Tuesday, saying later in a press release that they will propose a new candidate to lead the group. Currently, Valérie Hayer, who was the lead candidate in Macron’s dismal EU election campaign, holds that spot.

In a direct challenge to the MEPs within Renew allied with Hayer and Macron, the ALDE party, one of the main factions within the broader Renew group, said: “We are prepared to propose a candidate to lead the group and offer a strong leadership for the next mandate.”

Hayer said Monday she intended to remain as president of Renew, even after the group suffered a heavy defeat in France in the recent European election and lost some 20 MEPs across the EU. French lawmakers from Macron’s Renaissance party and allied forces have dominated the group since 2019.

Macron maneuvered his MEPs into a club called the New Europeans before the election in order to buttress his influence within Renew. On top of losing 10 French MEPs himself, Macron’s Romanian allies in the Reper party were also wiped out.

The decision on who leads the group will be taken by all MEPs in a vote.

Valérie Hayer said she intended to remain as president of Renew. | Kenzo Tribouillard/Getty Images

The Renew group was internally split during the EU election campaign when Hayer criticized the decision of Dutch liberal party VVD to enter a government in the Netherlands with far-right election winner Geert Wilders. Hayer said a broader group of Renew MEPs would broach the subject at a meeting Tuesday.

Dan Barna, a Renew MEP from the Save Romania Union party, said he felt that tensions had fallen since the campaign, and noted that VVD’s potential expulsion was not raised at Tuesday’s ALDE meeting. “I don’t think it will happen,” he said.