Saturday 11 November 2017

European Free Alliance (EFA)


The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political coalition that consists of various regionalist political parties in Europe. Members parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, or some form of devolution or self-governance for their country or region. The alliance has generally limited its membership to progressive parties, therefore, only a fraction of European regionalist parties are members of the EFA.

Since 1999 the EFA and the European Green Party (EGP) have joined forces within Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) group in the European Parliament, albeit some EFA members have joined other groups from time to time.
The EFA's youth wing is the European Free Alliance Youth (EFAY), founded in 2000.

Organisation

The main organs of the EFA organisation are the General Assembly, the Bureau and the Secretariat.


General Assembly

In the General Assembly, the supreme council of the EFA, every member party has one vote.

Bureau and Secretariat

The Bureau takes care of daily affairs. It is chaired by François Alfonsi (Party of the Corsican Nation), president of the EFA, while Jordi Solé (Republican Left of Catalonia) is secretary-general and Lorena Lopez de Lacalle (Basque Solidarity) treasurer and first vice-president. The Bureau is completed by other nine vice-presidents: Olrik Bouma (Frisian National Party), Chantal Certan (ALPE), Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru), Anders Eriksson (sv) (Future of Åland), David Grosclaude (Partit Occitan), Flemming Meyer (SSW Landesverband), Ana Miranda (Galician Nationalist Bloc), Wouter Patho (New Flemish Alliance) and Natalia Pinkowska (Silesian Autonomy Movement).

Member parties

This is a list of EFA member parties.

Full members


Before becoming a member party, an organization needs to have been an observer of the EFA for at least one year. Only one member party per region is allowed. If a second party from a region wants to join the EFA, the first party needs to agree, at which point these two parties will then form a common delegation with one vote. The EFA also recognises friends of the EFA, a special status for regionalist parties outside of the European Union.

Current state(s)PartySeeking to representJoined
(Observer/Member)
MEPs
 AustriaUnity ListSlovenia ethnic Slovenes2005/20060
 BelgiumNew Flemish Alliance Flanders20104
 BulgariaUnited Macedonian Organization Ilinden–PirinRepublic of Macedonia ethnic Macedonians2006/20070
 Czech RepublicMoravané Moravia20060
 CroatiaList for Rijeka Rijeka2009/20100
 DenmarkSchleswig PartyGermany ethnic Germans in North Schleswig20110
 FinlandFuture of Åland Åland2005/20060
 FranceSavoy Region MovementSavoy Savoie19910
 FranceOccitan Party Occitania19820
 FranceParty of the Corsican Nation Corsica19810
 FranceBreton Democratic Union Brittany19870
 FranceOur Land Alsace19910
 FranceCatalan UnityCatalonia Northern Catalonia, Catalan Countries19910
 GermanyBavaria Party Bavaria2007/20080
 GermanyThe Friesen East Frisia2008/20090
 GermanyLusatian Alliance Sorbs, Lusatia2009/20130
 GermanySouth Schleswig Voters' AssociationDenmark ethnic Danes,  North Frisia2009/20100
 GreeceRainbowRepublic of Macedonia ethnic Macedonians1999/20000
 ItalySouth Tyrolean Freedom South Tyrol20090
 ItalyLiga Veneta Repubblica Veneto1999/20000
 ItalySardinian Action Party Sardinia19840
 ItalySlovene UnionSlovenia ethnic Slovenes19910
 ItalyAutonomy Liberty Participation Ecology Aosta Valley2007/20110
 NetherlandsFrisian National Party Friesland19810
 PolandSilesian Autonomy Movement Upper Silesia2002/20030
 RomaniaHungarian People's Party of TransylvaniaHungary ethnic Hungarians2015/20160
 SlovakiaHungarian Christian Democratic AssociationHungary ethnic Hungarians2008/20090
 Spain /  FranceAralar Party Basque Country2012/20130
 Spain /  FranceBasque Solidarity Basque Country19861
 Spain /  FranceRepublican Left of CataloniaCatalonia Catalonia, Catalan Countries19892
 SpainAragonese Union Aragon2003/20040
 SpainSocialist Party of Majorca Balearic Islands, Catalan Countries2000/20080
 SpainGalician Nationalist Bloc Galicia1994/20000
 SpainValencian Nationalist BlocValencian Community Valencia, Catalan Countries2012/20131
 United KingdomMebyon Kernow Cornwall20030
 United KingdomPlaid Cymru Wales19831
 United KingdomScottish National Party Scotland19892
 United KingdomYorkshire Party Yorkshire2015/20160

Observer members

Current state(s)PartySeeking to representJoined
(as observer)
MEPs
 ItalyThe Other South Sicily20140
 ItalyPro Lombardy IndependenceBandiera Lombardia Lombardy20150
 LatviaLatvian Russian UnionRussia ethnic Russians Latgalians20101
 PolandKashubian Unity Kashubia20160
 SpainNew Canaries Canary Islands20130
 GreeceParty of Friendship, Equality and PeaceTurkey ethnic Turks in Thrace Periphery Emblem.png Western Thrace20150

Associate members

Current state(s)PartySeeking to representJoined
(as associate)
MEPs
 AzerbaijanDemocratic Party of Artsakh Nagorno-Karabakh20150
 SerbiaLeague of Social Democrats of Vojvodina Vojvodina20160

Former members

Current state(s)PartySeeking to representJoined
(Observer/Member)
Notes
 BelgiumPeople's Union Flanders1981Split into the New Flemish Alliance and SPIRIT
 BelgiumSocial Liberal Party Flanders2001Ceased activity in 2009
 BelgiumWalloon Popular Rally Wallonia1982Ceased activity as party in 2011
 BelgiumParty of German-speaking Belgians German Community1981Merged into ProDG in 2008
 BelgiumPro German-speaking Community German Community2009/2011
 FranceAlsace-Lorraine National Association Alsace Lorraine1981
 FranceUnion of the Corsican People Corsica1981Merged into the PNC in 2002
 FranceParty for the Organization of a Free Brittany Brittany1981Ceased activity in 2000
 FranceSavoyan LeagueSavoy Savoie1999/2000Ceased activity in 2012
 HungaryRenewed Roma Union Party of Hungary Romani people2009Ceased activity in 2012
 IrelandIndependent Fianna Fáil Ireland1981Ceased activity in 2006
 ItalyLega Lombarda Lombardy1989/1990Joined Lega Nord in 1991
 ItalyLiga Veneta Veneto1989/1990Joined Lega Nord in 1991
 ItalyLega Nord Padania1991Suspended in 1994, left in 1996 and joined ELDR
 ItalyEmilian Free Alliance Emilia1999/2000Ceased activity in 2010
 ItalyMovement for the Independence of Sicily Sicily2009
 ItalyValdostan Union Aosta ValleyExpelled in 2007 after lack of activity in EFA structures
 LithuaniaLithuanian Polish People's PartyPoland ethnic Poles2003/2004Ceased activity in 2010
 ItalyUnion for South Tyrol South TyrolExpelled in 2008 for opposition to the Bilbao declaration
 RomaniaTransilvania–Banat League TransylvaniaBanatCeased activity
 SlovakiaHungarian Federalist PartyHungary ethnic HungariansBanned in 2005
 SpainDemocratic Convergence of Catalonia Catalonia1981Joined the LDR Group in 1987
 SpainCanarian Coalition Canary Islands1994Left in 1999 and joined the ELDR Group
 Spain /  FranceBasque Nationalist Party Basque Country1999Left in 2004 and joined the EDP
 SpainAndalusian Party Andalusia1999dissolved in 2015

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