André Ventura says he will travel to Washington “very likely” but sent the decision announcement for later
The Patriots for Europe (far right), the third largest political group in the European Parliament, will send a delegation to the inauguration of the North American president, headed by the leader of the Spanish Vox, Santiago Abascal, while the European Union (EU) will not be discharged institutional representation.
The information was given this Friday to the Lusa agency by a source from the Patriotas pela Europa group (which has 84 MEPs – two from Chega -, out of a total of 720 in the European assembly), who indicated that “a delegation, headed by its president Santiago Abascal, with leaders of the different parties that make up the bench and some MEPs, will be present” in Washington at Donald Trump’s inauguration, scheduled for Monday.
Lusa questioned Chega in the European Parliament, which indicated that it did not have MEPs in the delegation. Chega’s president, André Ventura, asked by Lusa in Lisbon whether he would participate as a party leader, replied that, “very likely”, he would travel to Washington, but postponed the announcement of the decision for later.
According to Patriots for Europe sources, present at the ceremony will be MEPs from the Spanish Vox, the Italian Northern League, the Hungarian Fidesz and the Alliance of Discontented Citizens of the Czech Republic.
At the institutional level, none of the senior representatives of the EU institutions received an invitation to Monday’s ceremony, including the presidents of the European Council, António Costa, of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, confirmed Lusa with community sources.
It is planned that there will be representation at ambassadorial level, according to the same sources.
European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho told Lusa that the EU ambassador to the United States, Jovita Neliupšien, will be present.
Regarding the EU heads of government and state, it was announced that the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, would not participate in the inauguration of his North American ally, whose proximity is reported by both.
According to Viktor Orbán’s spokespersons, Donald Trump would not have invited foreign heads of state or government, nor the Hungarian prime minister himself.
However, the Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, has already told the press in Rome that she would “gladly go” to the inauguration if her schedule allowed it, although she has not yet confirmed such participation.
If it happens, she will be the only EU leader to be present.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal will be represented by the ambassador accredited in Washington, Francisco Duarte Lopes, as is usually the case at presidential inaugurations in the United States.
Donald Trump has not yet taken office, but he has already left the EU in shock, threatening additional tariffs on imports and statements about a possible annexation of the autonomous region of Greenland, a territory of Denmark.
To the threats from the 78-year-old Republican, winner of the November 2024 presidential elections in the United States and which will begin on Monday, the European Commission has responded, for now, with a willingness to build a positive dialogue with the new administration that will lead the White House.
