RN reverses position on anti-immigration text in European Parliament
The Rassemblement National (RN) group in the European Parliament has made an unexpected reversal on a text aimed at combating irregular immigration. Initially opposed, the party ultimately chose to abstain during the vote. This decision surprises amid political tensions in France and Europe.
On October 2, 2025, during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, which includes the French RN, surprised observers by changing its position on a LIBE committee report on managing migration flows. The text, proposed by Dutch rapporteur Hilde Vautmans (Renew Europe), aims to strengthen controls at the EU's external borders and expedite returns of irregular migrants.
Initially, the RN, led by Jordan Bardella in Parliament, had announced firm opposition, calling the document 'too lax' and insufficient against what it describes as a 'migrant invasion.' Internal party sources indicate this stance aimed to score points with its national electorate ahead of French elections. However, in the final vote, the 58 RN MEPs chose to abstain, allowing the text to pass with a relative majority (312 in favor, 256 against, 58 abstentions).
Jordan Bardella justified the choice in a post-vote statement: 'We abstain because this text, though imperfect, contains advances on strengthening Frontex that we could not ignore.' This explanation contrasts with the party's earlier criticisms, which had denounced the report as a 'capitulation to mass immigration.'
This reversal occurs amid broader context: the EU faces rising migrant arrivals in 2025, with over 200,000 asylum applications recorded in the first half, per Eurostat. In France, the RN, the main opposition party, regularly uses immigration as a core theme. Analysts suggest the abstention may reflect a strategy to avoid isolation within the ID group, where parties like Germany's AfD voted against.
Reactions were swift. LIBE committee chair Evelyne Gebhardt (Spanish Socialist) welcomed the RN abstention as a 'sign of European maturity,' while anonymous voices within the French party describe it as a 'forced compromise' to not block security measures. This episode highlights the RN's challenges in balancing its hard national line with European parliamentary dynamics.