On June 5, the members of the ECR Group met for the first time the 2019 European Elections.

The Group also welcomed five new MEPs from three different countries.

The far-right Forum for Democracy from the Netherlands which won three seats in the European Parliament, including former ECR member Dirk Jan Eppink.

The ECR join Helmut Geuking elected with the Family Party in Germany, and Kyriakos Velopoulos representing the far-right party Greek Solution.

The ECR Group reiterated its position that many issues are best dealt with at national level.

“We are delighted to formally add more parties and MEPs to our family. The ECR Group will continue to be an important force in the next parliament, working positively and proactively to bring about the change that the EU desperately needs,” said ECR Group Co-Chair Ryszard Legutko, speaking after welcoming the new parties and members.

“In the coming weeks we hope to be joined by other new likeminded parties who recognise the limits of EU integration and the importance of treating all Member States fairly and equally,” he added.