The FPÖ in the European Parliament

Ever since Austria acceded to the European Union in 1995, the Austrian population has also elected the country’s members of the European Parliament (EP). Together with the Council of the European Union – commonly known as the EU Council of Ministers – the EP decides on most EU legislation and on the EU budget.

The European Parliament has its official seat in Strasbourg, France; additional plenary sessions are also held in Brussels. Following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU, the European Parliament is made up of a total of 705 MEPs for the 2019-2024 term. Moreover, individual MEPs have since 1979 been directly elected across the whole of the EU.

The FPÖ co-operates with other parties in Europe

Depending on their size, Member States send a minimum of six and a maximum of 96 Members of the European Parliament. Austria currently has 19 Members of the European Parliament. Since the last election to the European Parliament, in May 2019, the FPÖ has provided a European Parliament delegation comprising three Austrian MEPs. Harald Vilimsky (pictured) has since 2014 been an MEP and the head of the Freedom Party delegation in the European Parliament.

In a manner which mirrors the internal organisation of the Austrian National Council, Members of the European Parliament are organised by political groups, rather than by Member States. The FPÖ delegation has since 2019 belonged to the “Identity and Democracy” group, of which, among others, the Italian Lega and the Alternative für Deutschland are also members. The Freedom Party’s Members of the European Parliament are also integrated into the FPÖ Parliamentary Group in the Austrian Parliament in Vienna.

arald Vilimsky has since 2014 been an MEP and the head of the Freedom Party delegation in the European Parliament.