Zala: Impending rise of 'far-right' parties 'no tragedy'

Slovak MEP Boris Zala of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament has said that even though "far-right" parties are expected to emerge stronger from the European Parliament election, "it won't have any tragic consequences." Zala argued that on the contrary, it would force pro-European parties to cooperate more and to create a joint block that would protect the EU against "anti-European tendencies". "They aren't euro-sceptics, they're explicitly anti-European parties based on nation-state nationalism -- be it Italian, Romanian, Slovak, British or Spanish. I think that we can defend against it but it's necessary to realise who are allies, how and with whom we should form coalitions," Zala said. "I think it'll bolster the cooperation of reasonable and rational forces in the European Parliament."