“Joining a group that is not, at least from the outset, seen as one-on-one representing a certain political ideology is the best thing for us … we have always the potential to vote against group lines due to our pragmatic approach,” he said.
The move still needs to be approved by Sieper’s Party of Progress — a German party with around 1,000 members and no presence in the German parliament — on March 22 and then ratified by Renew Europe’s lawmakers. The Party of Progress describes itself as not having a specific ideology but instead voting on a case-by-case basis after consulting with voters.
Another MEP, Italy’s Elisabetta Gualmini, is also on the move and is leaving the Socialists and Democrats group, three Parliament officials told POLITICO. All were granted anonymity to speak freely. Two of the officials said she might join Renew Europe.
The moves kick off a year of internal horse-trading through January 2027, when the Parliament’s top jobs come up for renewal and political groups scramble to poach members and shore up their influence.
“Groups are reaching out to every single MEP that could flip; the MEP shopping is all over the place,” said a Greens parliamentary assistant who said they know of lawmakers who have been contacted to shift groups. The assistant was granted anonymity to speak freely.
Renew is currently the fifth-largest group in the Parliament and is looking to leapfrog the European Conservatives and Reformists group, which is fourth. With the addition of Sieper, Renew is three seats away from this objective (or two, if Gualmini ultimately joins).