The far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) party has declared its ambition to reshape the European Union under the banner of “Make Europe Great Again,” echoing the rhetoric of former U.S. President Donald Trump. During a two-day leaders’ summit in Madrid, the party outlined its strategy to challenge mainstream political groups and establish itself as the new “normal” in Brussels and across the EU.

The PfE, a coalition of nationalist and far-right parties, aims to replace the dominance of the Socialists, Liberals, and European People’s Party (EPP) in European politics. The group’s leaders, including Geert Wilders of the Netherlands’ PVV party, Santiago Abascal of Spain’s VOX, and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, gathered to map out their vision for a “reconquest” of Europe.

“We are living in a historic age, and my message to all the old leaders—from Macron to Scholz, to your own Pedro Sánchez—is this: Your time is over. You are history,” Wilders told a crowd of around 2,000 supporters on Saturday. The summit marked the first major gathering since Abascal was appointed leader of the European party in December.

The PfE’s agenda draws heavily from Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, adapting policies from the United States and Latin America to the European context. André Ventura, leader of Portugal’s far-right Chega party, emphasized the need for a Christian Europe, stating, “We have to do what Trump has told us: fight, fight, fight. We have to reconquer a Europe that is ours and that belongs to us.”

The party, which includes Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (France), Orbán’s Fidesz (Hungary), Matteo Salvini’s Lega (Italy), and Czechia’s Andrej Babiš, among others, is founded on principles of national sovereignty, traditional values, and the defense of free speech and security. With 89 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), the PfE is now the third-largest group in the European Parliament, trailing only the EPP and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).

During the summit, leaders criticized mainstream EU policies, particularly the Green Deal, which they vowed to dismantle. Petr Macinka from Czechia’s Motorists for Themselves party called for a return to “realistic policies based on a free market and strong nation-states,” while Babiš accused mainstream parties of failing the EU. “They tell us Europe will be competitive, yet they impose regulations that strangle businesses and citizens,” he said.

The PfE also sought to strengthen its transatlantic ties, hosting Kevin Roberts, president of the American conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, and airing video messages from Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado and Argentina’s President Javier Milei. Jorge Buxadé, a Spanish MEP from VOX, highlighted the party’s global ambitions, stating, “Patriots is a transatlantic party, but we are also open. It is not just an alliance with the North—the United States—but also with the South.”

Under Abascal’s leadership, the PfE aims to expand its influence across the EU, with a focus on winning national elections and securing majorities in EU decision-making bodies. “We are no longer just the future—we are the real, immediate future,” Buxadé declared.

As the PfE gains momentum, its rise signals a potential shift in European politics, with far-right and nationalist parties positioning themselves as a formidable force against the established political order. The coming months will test whether the PfE can translate its ambitious rhetoric into tangible political gains.