Brussels – Conservatives (ECR) voting with the radical Left (the Left), Populars (EPP) going a little with the Right a little with the Left, the 5 Star Movement being on the same positions as the League (for different reasons): the last plenary session of 2025 offers a glimpse of a European Parliament where majorities will never be clear, but always variable, depending on the dossier. The Chamber brings to Strasbourg dynamics now typical of this European legislature, with long‑standing grudges and entrenched friction that risk shaping proceedings in an atmosphere that is not exactly conciliatory, and hardly in keeping with the Christmas spirit.
The ‘green’ files, those relating to deforestation and due diligence, will see a Socialists-Greens-Left coalition united against the results achieved so far, with the Liberals likely to split. The two dossiers become an opportunity to attack the EPP: “We will vote against the agreement on deforestation, because the result of the trialogue is a serious departure from objectives that must remain at the heart of the European agenda for a competitive decarbonised economy,” complains Brando Benifei (PD/S&D), a member of the Committee on International Trade. A reprimand shared by Alex Johnson, spokesperson for the Greens group: “We are against the deregulation agenda, on deforestation and due diligence. It is vital that the progressive forces unite; that we stay in the centre and not look to the right.” Another blow to Weber’s EPP.
On sustainability files, a convergence is thus taking shape among Christian Democrats, conservatives, sovereigntists, and Eurosceptics, the PPE‑ECR‑PfE‑ESN coalition that Paolo Borchia, head of the League delegation, describes as “the natural majority of this legislature, if one looks at how Europeans voted” in the most recent elections to renew the EU Parliament. That is why, he points out, the vote on due diligence scheduled for Tuesday, 16 December, from 12.30 p.m., “is a vote that of greater political importance,” precisely because it marks the EPP’s shift to the right.
In the game of variable majorities, the League will most likely vote against the military mobility project (scheduled for Wednesday, 17 December), which is instead supported by Fratelli d’Italia. A disconnect with the government majority in Italy, and a rapprochement with the positions of the 5 Star Movement and the radical Left. However, Borchia again acknowledges, “We have doubts about the simplicity of transiting armies between countries; let’s not exaggerate with certain concepts.” FdI’s ideas are different: “On military circulation, I cannot accept refraining from acting within my European borders, because otherwise my neighbour sees it as a provocation,” said Francesco Torselli (FdI/ECR), a member of the International Trade Committee.
“We are concerned about the votes on rearmament and defence investments,” acknowledges Pasquale Tridico (M5S/laSinistra), who announces: “We will vote against military mobility, and also against rearmEU,” because, he explains, “for us this does not bring security. Strategic autonomy is built on technology and the economy.” Closing the doors completely, marking the Italian M5S-Lega-AVS convergence and the European Greens-Left-PfE convergence, is Leoluca Orlando (AVS/Verdi): ” I believe that the role of politics is not to decide how to wage war; I believe that the role of politics is how to avoid war. No one poses the problem of how to avoid it.”
The last plenary session of 2025, on Tuesday, 16 December, foreshadows another unconventional convergence between conservatives and the radical left on safeguard clauses for the EU‑Mercosur trade agreement. Both groups welcome the amendments to the deal, but complain about the lack of reciprocity and want to try to correct course.
Setting aside vetoes and cross‑votes, the December plenary, Orlando argues, serves to take stock of the situation. “Politically, a trend emerges of the EPP choosing with the right, even the extreme right, especially when it comes to amendments. Another aspect that emerges is a progressive abandoning of green deal principles, which we disagree with.” The last plenary meeting of the year, thus, offers a taste of what is to come in 2026.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
