Good morning,
The devil is in the details — especially in one of the most divided European Parliaments in EU history.
Earlier this week, far-right French MEPs Julien Sanchez and Angéline Furet (both from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party) successfully pushed through an amendment on religious symbols tied to the 2026 EU budget. While non-binding, it’s a clear sign of the political climate and the direction things are headed.
With support from the European People’s Party (EPP) and Giorgia Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Viktor Orbán’s Patriots for Europe got enough backing to push the message that the EU budget should no longer support campaigns that "promote" wearing the veil, directly or indirectly. Progressive forces from the liberal Renew Europe, centre-left S&D, the Left (except for one Irish MEP), and the Greens opposed the wording.
"European taxpayers' money should not fund Islamist propaganda. Great success for the RN delegation in the European Parliament," said the leader of RN, 29-year-old MEP Jordan Bardella, on his social media.
The amendment passed just by three votes, showing the sharp division within the EU parliament (and how the EPP is the ultimate kingmaker.)
In 2021, a campaign by the Strasbourg-based (non-EU) Council of Europe co-financed by the EU said: 'Beauty is in diversity as freedom is in hijab' — but the campaign was withdrawn due to international pressure, especially from France.
The obsession in France with the veil goes further than most other Western countries. In 2011, France became the first country in Europe to ban the burqa in public areas, although others have followed suit since. But the debate about the veil in sports, schools and workplaces —and the political battles around it— have been raging for years.
In the past, the European Court of Justice has said that member states can prohibit employees from wearing religious symbols, like headscarves, at work if it comes as part of policies to ensure a “neutral administrative environment”.
But a report from the Fundamental Rights Agency found last year that Muslim women, even young women who are descendants of immigrants but were born in the EU, who wear the headscarf, hijab, or niqab in public are more likely to experience racist harassment and obstacles when it comes to getting jobs.
This little vote highlights not only the sharp division in the European Parliament but also the ongoing clash between freedom of expression and cultural tensions, which will continue to shape Europe and its policies for years to come.
- Elena Sánchez Nicolás, editor-in-chief
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