A source from the European Parliament who spoke to The Malta Independent on Sunday in Brussels said that although it is obvious that the EPP is a large and powerful group, it has “lost its heart and soul” to maintain its overtly fragile coalition of right and centre right parties. The main issue is the fact that the EPP is made up of parties which come from opposing political beliefs, especially with the eurosceptics and pro European factions battling it out.

A large influence in the EPP is the British Eurosceptic group made up of the Conservative Party MEPs who are more in number when compared to their counterparts from the Labour Party who are aligned with the Socialists. Ever since the stringent reforms conducted by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the European Socialists have bridged their initial differences and are now much stronger and united than their EPP rivals. Coalition with the Liberals and other like minded minority parties is also becoming much more of an important and crucial issue to pass sensitive legislation.

The differing political views and opposing ideologies definitely create an atmosphere in which the EPP is very far from its original Christian Democratic roots. The enthusiasm for further European integration among the centre right parties is definitely creating much friction with the far right groups that are attracting the protest and anti-EU vote. This paradox could create serious fissures in the EPP that would crucially affect the composition of the next European Parliament.