The Alliance for Europe of the Nations was a European political party that gathered conservative and national-conservative political parties from across the continent.
History The AEN was founded in 2002, designed to complement the existing Union for Europe of the Nations group in the European Parliament. Moves towards establishing standardised funding block grants for European political parties were at this point well afoot, and the parties affiliated with UEN required a corresponding organisation to take advantage of them.
Almost immediately upon its founding, the AEN began to decline in terms of membership and influence. At its first meeting, participants included the Czech Civic Democratic Party, Portuguese CDS-PP, Israeli Likud, Irish Fianna Fáil, Italian National Alliance and the Greek Popular Orthodox Rally,"List of Political Parties participating at the A.E.N. meeting on June, 25th - 26th 2002" 25 June 2002 all of which later left the organisation.
The AEN had a broadly national-conservative political line, but many members were uncomfortable with this. There was a strong movement for the centrist Fianna Fáil to leave AEN and join the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, which it did on 17 April 2009. Also, National Alliance, which despite its post-fascist background was a moderate national-conservative party strongly promoting European integration, grew uncomfortable with AEN and left it for the European People's Party by merging with Forza Italia to form The People of Freedom party on 27 March 2009.
MEPs elected from its member-parties were expected to sit in the affiliated Union for Europe of the Nations (UEN) group in the European Parliament, but UEN collapsed in 2009 following the 2009 European Parliament elections, and MEPs from AEN member parties were scattered across the European Conservatives and Reformists and Europe of Freedom and Democracy groups, and their respective European-level parties, the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists and Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy.
After those realignments, there were too few AEN member parties left to retain its EU-funded status as a European political party. The AEN's 2009 grant was rescinded."Grants from the European Parliament to political parties at European level 2004-2010", 14 April 2010, from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/
Funding The grants from the European Parliament to AEN from 2004 to 2010 were as follows:"Grants from the European Parliament to political parties at European level 2004-2008"
Financial yearInitial grant (EUR)Final grant (EUR)2004/5161 250 83 964 2005/6450 000 114 330 2006/7450 000 144 809 2007/8300 000 159 138 2008/9300 000 206 3752009/10577 150n/a
Member parties Current state(s)Party Joined Left New group / future Republican Party of Albania2002 2009 National Ideal for Unity? 2006/7Fighting Democratic Movement? 2009 Merged into DIKOCivic Democratic Party2002 bef 2006Alliance of European Conservatives and ReformistsDanish People's Party 2002 2006/7 Movement for a Europe of Liberties and DemocracyPeople's Union of Estonia 2002 2009 Rally for France 2002 2009 ESESY (Hellenic League) 2008/9 2009 Popular Orthodox Rally 2002 2005 Movement for a Europe of Liberties and DemocracyHungarian Provincial and Civic Party 2004 2009 Fianna Fáil 2002 2009Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe PartyInternational Right Forum 2002 bef 2006Likud 2002 bef 2006Yisrael Beiteinu 2002 bef 2006National Alliance 2002 2009Party merged into The People of FreedomSicilian Alliance 2008/9 2009 Media Forum 2007 2009 For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK 2002 2009Alliance of European Conservatives and ReformistsLithuanian Peasant Popular Union ? 2009 Order and Justice ? 2009 Movement for a Europe of Liberties and DemocracyAlternative Democratic Reform Party 2002 2010Alliance of European Conservatives and ReformistsMalta Conservative Party 2002 bef 2006Law and Justice ? 2009Alliance of European Conservatives and ReformistsNational Conservative League 2002 bef 2006Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party 2002 bef 2006European People's PartyNational Liberal Party ? 2006/7Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe PartyDemocratic Party of Russia 2002 bef 2006Movement for Democracy 2004 2008/9 Movement for a Europe of Liberties and DemocracySlovak National Party 2002 2009 Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists? 2009
See also European political party Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations European political foundation
References