By FOIA Research on

The Working Group on Conservatism in Europe (WGCE), whose first traces go back to early 2023, brings together a select group of extreme right-wing political operatives who are largely affiliated with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group and party in the European Parliament.

WGCE participants hail predominantly from think tanks of national parties associated with ECR, such as Fundación Disenso (Spain) of the far-right Vox party; the Fratelli d'Italia-affiliated Nazione Futura and Fondazione Tatarella; or Oikos of the far-right Sweden Democrats. But they also include members of sympathizing organizations, such as the US-based Edmund Burke Foundation or the Israeli Herzl Institute.

Although the host organizations of WGCE meetings alternate, and thus the location of the events, the Brussels-based ECR Party and its think tank, New Direction, play a coordinating role.

Member parties of the ECR Group as of September 2023.

Judging from the spotty data situation, the WGCE gathers the inner core of a much larger network of organizations, think tanks, and journals, to cement the ideological reorientation of ECR towards a "national conservative" line. The "conservative" tag is highly (and intentionally) misleading, since today ECR consists largely of right-wing to far-right member parties, with the Spanish Vox party and the Italian Fratelli d'Italia taking a leading role. Currently, the ECR party is presided over by the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, while its vice president is Jorge Buxadé of Vox.1

As of September 2023, the ECR group is made up of 19 parties, whose representatives currently hold 66 of 705 seats (ca. 9.4%) in the European Parliament. ECR largely collects staunch pro-NATO and anti-Russian parties, a distinguishing feature that has become more marked following the 2022 Ukraine invasion. [In contrast, Identity and Democracy, the second far-right European parliamentary group and party, collects mostly parties that have been sympathizing with Russia under Putin, such as the Alternative for Germany party or the French National Rally.]

ECR Group member parties by country as of September 2023.

Occasional traces of WGCE meetings can be found on the web, however, they seem to be rather secretive and invite-only, with around 20 participants each time. In contrast to other events organized by ECR, New Direction and their affiliates, such as the Think Tank Central series,2 WGCE events are not announced, and their schedule is not made public. Thus, their composition has to be established on the base of occasional photographic evidence, mostly on social media networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

The meetings consist of a lecture part, where participants give presentations on changing topics, such as "Religion and Politics, Church and State"3 ; as well as a discussion part, which is i.a. aimed at drafting a "conservative" manifesto, presumably ahead of the upcoming 2024 European elections.

WGCE representatives often appear as speakers at events of the various partner organizations, notably the National Conservatism Conference series, organized by the Edmund Burke Foundation. Some are contributors to The European Conservative journal, which can be considered a mouthpiece of the network.

Although the composition of WGCE participants changes from event to event, the organizations they are hailing from remain more or less stable. They include:

New Direction (ND), the think tank of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group and party in the European Parliament; most frequently represented by ND Senior Policy Adviser, Robert Tyler.4

While the ECR Group and Party have undergone substantial changes in composition, as well as several name changes, ND, has remained a constant ever since its inception in 2009/2010.5 ND's founding patroness was the "iron lady" Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), who died a few years after ND's inception. And although the UK is no longer part of the European Union, Britain is exerting influence through ND, for example through ND's Vice President, the former military intelligence big wig Geoffrey van Orden.6

Website: https://www.newdirection.online/

Board: https://newdirection.online/about

Twitter: @europeanreform

The Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group and party in the European Parliament. ECR has its origins in the "European Conservative Group," which goes back to 1973, when the UK joined the European Community. Until Brexit, ECR was dominated by the UK Conservative Party, and after that steadily radicalized.

ECR Group

Website: https://www.ecrgroup.eu/

Board: https://ecrgroup.eu/ecr

Twitter: @ecrgroup

ECR Party

Website: https://ecrparty.eu/

Board: https://ecrparty.eu/about/

Twitter: @ECRparty

Nazione Futura, a think tank supportive of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia party in Italy, presided over by Francesco Giubilei.

Website: http://www.nazionefutura.it/

Board: http://www.nazionefutura.it/organigramma/

Twitter: @nazione_futura

Tatarella Foundation, a far-right Italian foundation supporting Fratelli d'Italia, also headed by Francesco Giubilei. The Tatarella Foundation functions as archive of the neo-fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI) party, and its successor Alleanza Nazionale - the predecessors of Fratelli d'Italia (FdI).7

Website: https://www.fondazionegiuseppetatarella.it/

Board: https://www.fondazionegiuseppetatarella.it/la-fondazione/

Twitter: @FGTatarella

The European Conservative, a far-right journal headquartered in Hungary, frequently represented by its editor-in-chief, Alvino-Mario Fantini.

Website: https://europeanconservative.com/

Board: https://europeanconservative.com/about/

Twitter: @EuroConOfficial

Edmund Burke Foundation, a US organization hosting the National Conservatism Conference series.

Website: https://burke.foundation/

Board: https://burke.foundation/people/

Herzl Institute, a Zionist organization based in Israel, mostly represented by its president Ofir Haivry, who is also a distinguished research fellow of the Edmund Burke Foundation.

Website: https://herzlinstitute.org/en/

Board: https://herzlinstitute.org/en/people/

Danube Institute, a Hungary-based think tank led by the Brit John O'Sullivan. The organization is financed by the far-right Fidesz government, although Fidesz is not a member of ECR.8

Website: https://danubeinstitute.hu/en/

Board: https://danubeinstitute.hu/en/about-us/staff

Twitter: @InstituteDanube

Fundación Disenso, the think tank of the Spanish far-right Vox party.

Website: https://fundaciondisenso.org/

Board: https://fundaciondisenso.org/nosotros/equipo/

Twitter: @FDisenso

Oikos, the think tank of the far-right Sweden Democrats party.

Website: https://www.oikos.se/

Board: https://www.oikos.se/17/3/fortroenderad/

Twitter: @oikos_org

Legatum Institute is a London-based think tank founded by the New-Zealand-born billionaire Christopher Chandler in 2007, which has attracted controversy as a result of its opaque offshore funding. According to openDemocracy, it has been "arguably the most influential think tank in Britain pushing its free market pro-Brexit vision and enjoying privileged access to media and ministers."9

Website: https://li.com/

Board: https://li.com/about/

Twitter: @LegatumInst

2023 March Meeting (Brussels, Belgium)

References to the first iteration of the event are missing. But a picture of the second meeting exists, posted i.a. on the Facebook page of The European Conservative (TEC).10 It may be presumed that the hosting organization was New Direction, the ECR think tank, since a banner with its logo, alongside a portrait of the founding patroness, Margaret Thatcher, can be seen at the end of the conference table. The Danube Institute reported that "on the menu" was "rule of Law, future of Europe & European military cooperation."11

In March 2023, New Direction, in cooperation with Ofir Haivry (Herzl Institute, Edmund Burke Foundation) and the Hungary-based Danube Institute, hosted the second workshop of the WGCE. Haivry had been a visiting fellow of the Danube Institute the previous year.12 According to TEC's Facebook page:10

The [currently six-partner] ‘Working Group on Conservatism in Europe’ held its second workshop in Brussels recently.
Local host this time was New Direction, which sponsored an exchange of ideas about the rule of law, security, and the future of the EU.
We are grateful to Ofir Haivry and the Danube Institute for this initiative!

Who these six partners were is not specified, which at that point may have included: New Direction, Danube Institute, Fundación Disenso, The European Conservative, Nazione Futura and/or Tatarella Foundation, the Herzl Institute and/or the Edmund Burke Foundation.

Among the approximately 17 attendees were:

  • Alvino-Mario Fantini, Editor-in-chief, The European Conservative, USA & Austria
  • David Engels, Oswald Spengler Society and TEC editor, Belgium
  • Ofir Haivry, President, Herzl Institute; distinguished senior fellow, Edmund Burke Foundation, Israel
  • Robert Tyler, New Direction, Senior Policy Adviser, United Kingdom
  • Gabriela Garibay Márin, Fundación Disenso, Spain13
  • Gát Ákos Bence, Danube Institute, Hungary
  • David Martin Jones, Danube Institute, UK & Australia14

Although some of the faces on the pictures available are not clearly discernible, there is a strong likelihood that the Vienna meeting also included:

  • Francesco Giubilei, President, Tatarella Foundation, Nazione Futura, Italy
  • Juan Ángel Soto Gómez, Director of Operations, Fundación Disenso, Spain15

2023 June meeting (Bari, Italy)

From June 6 to 7, 2023, the third iteration of the Working Group on Conservatism in Europe took place in Bari, Italy. The event was co-hosted by the Tatarella Foundation and Nazione Futura, led by Francesco Giubilei. There is no question about the provenance of the Bari-based Tatarella Foundation, which functions as archive of the neo-fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI) party, and its successor Alleanza Nazionale - the predecessors of Fratelli d'Italia (FdI).7 On a wall, the foundation proudly exhibits the logo of the neo-fascist MSI, with its distinctive tricolor fascist flame, which FdI has taken over in its logo.16 President of the Tatarella Foundation is Francesco Giubilei, who also heads Nazione Futura, a far-right think tank associated with FdI.

Among the participants were:17

  • Ofir Haivry, Herzl Institute, Edmund Burke Foundation, Israel
  • Juan Ángel Soto Gómez, Fundación Disenso, Spain
  • Federica Pascale, Nazione Futura, EURACTIV, Italy
  • Robert Tyler, New Direction, United Kingdom
  • Francesco Giubilei, Fondazione Tatarella, Nazione Futura, Italy
  • Annalisa Tatarella, External relations manager, Fondazione Tatarella, Italy18
  • Pascquale Ferraro, Editorial Director, Nazione Futura, Italy19
  • Fabrizio Tatarella, Deputy Vice President, Fondazione Tatarella, Italy
  • Ciro Miale, formerly communications manager,20 now member of the National Transport Department21 of Fratelli d'Italia; as well as regional representative of Nazione Futura
  • Hélène de Lauzun, Editorial Board, The European Conservative, France
  • Carlos Perona Calvete, Writer and Analyst, The European Conservative, Luxembourg22
  • Gabriela Garibay Márin, Fundación Disenso, Spain13
  • Arvid Hallén, Board of Trustees, Oikos, Sweden
  • Márk Vargha, Senior Analyst, Migration Research Institute, Hungary23
  • István Kiss, Executive Director, Danube Institute, Hungary24
  • Radomir Tylecote, Director of Research, Legatum Institute, United Kingdom25

In the evening of June 7, 2023, a public event was hosted at the Bari city hall, hosted by the Tatarella Foundation, titled "The Europe of the Conservatives." Speakers at the event were:26

  • Ciro Miale, Fratelli d'Italia, Nazione Futura, Italy
  • Ferrante de Benedictis, Vice President of Nazione Futura, Italy
  • István Kiss, Danube Institute, Executive Director, Hungary
  • Francesco Giubilei, President of the Tatarella Foundation and Nazione Futura, Italy
  • Ofir Haivry, Herzl Institute, Israel
  • Fabrizio Tatarella, Tatarella Foundation, Italy
  • Carlo Fidanza, Head of the Fratelli d'Italia delegation in the European Parliament (per video chat), Italy
  • Nicola Procaccini, Co-President of the ECR Group in the European Parliament, Italy
  • Francesco de Palo, journalist, Italy.

2023 September meeting (Vienna, Austria)

From September 5 to 6, 2023, a WGCE meeting took place in Vienna, Austria, hosted by The European Conservative journal. The group met for the fifth time, according to Ofir Haivry.27 The topic was "Religion and Politics, Church and State," according to Paolo Radosta of Nazione Futura.3 The latter mentioned in his report on the Nazione Futura website that "the main conservative think tanks of the Old Continent were invited"; and that, besides him as Italian, were "Austrian, Hungarian, English, Belgian, Polish, Serbian, Swedish, Spanish and French representatives."3 Apparently, he forgot to mention the provenance of, for example, the Brit Robert Tyler, or the Israeli Ofir Haivry. Radosta also stated that one of WGCE's main goals in the drafting a "conservative" manifesto, presumably ahead of the upcoming 2024 European elections.3

Among the participants of the September WGCE meeting that could be identified were:

  • Robert Tyler, New Direction, Senior Policy Adviser, United Kingdom; gave a "presentation focused on the historic Anglo-American view of religious freedom and secularism"28
  • Alvino-Mario Fantini, The European Conservative, editor-in-chief, USA & Austria
  • Paolo Radosta, Nazione Futura, Italy; his presentation "focused on the Italian situation and the history of relations ... between the State and the Christian Catholic religion"3
  • Ofir Haivry, Herzl Institute, Edmund Burke Foundation, Israel
  • Liliana Śmiech, President, Warsaw Institute, Poland29
  • Arvid Hallén, Oikos, Sweden30
  • Zewditu Gebreyohanes, Senior Researcher, Legatum Institute, United Kingdom31

Ofir Haivry mentioned that besides above organizations, there were also participants from the Danube Institute, Fundación Disenso.27 Although some of the faces on the pictures available are not clearly discernible, there is a strong likelihood that the Vienna meeting also included:

  • David Martin Jones, Danube Institute, UK & Australia and
  • Gabriela Garibay Márin, Fundación Disenso, Spain.

Pictures show that a cleric was also attending the meeting, who seems to have been the center of the more intimate evening discussion.

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