Fico Holds Talks with Orban on Smer-SD Joining Patriots for Europe Faction

     Brussels/Bratislava/Budapest, 24 October (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban are holding negotiations on the Smer-SD party joining the Patriots for Europe (PfE) faction in the European Parliament (EP), Orban's adviser Balazs Orban told the Euronews website on Thursday (23 October) during the European Council summit in Brussels.
        The Party of European Socialists (PES) unanimously and fully expelled Smer-SD from its structures at its congress in Amsterdam on 17 October due to a "gross and strong contradiction with the values" of PES. In October 2023, the faction presidium decided to suspend the full membership of Smer-SD and the associate membership of the Voice-SD party due to their diversion from PES values and formation of a governing coalition with the Slovak National Party (SNS).
        "Consultations are ongoing between the two premiers. The goal could be an Orban-Fico-[Czech Premier] Babis axis in the EU," Orban's adviser told Euronews, adding that the Patriots are open to welcoming Smer. "From our side, the door is open. Robert Fico and his party will have to decide. He comes from a left-wing background, but there is a sovereign-based approach in his party. We'll see how they'll decide," said Balazs Orban.
        MEP Monika Benova told TASR a week ago, after Smer was fully excluded from PES, that "they've had an offer from the Patriots for Europe group for a quite long time".
        The Patriots are currently the third strongest faction in the EP. With five MEPs from Smer - Monika Benova, Katarina Roth Nevedalova, Judita Lassakova, Lubos Blaha and Erik Kalinak - they could have a total of 91 seats in the EP.