The Dutch far-right’s international affiliations

Partij voor de Vrijheid (Freedom Party, PVV)

Following their historic victory in the 2023 parliamentary elections, the Party for Freedom (PVV) is struggling to keep its coalition intact. The radical right-populist party, known for its staunch Islamophobia and Euroscepticism, faces repeated clashes with judicial and bureaucratic institutions, as well as tensions with its centre-right coalition partners. A recent flashpoint emerged when Prime Minister Dick Schoof (politically unaffiliated) pledged Dutch participation in European rearmament efforts, contradicting a parliamentary majority backed by the PVV.

A significant factor in PVV’s crisis is its foreign policy identity. While Geert Wilders once openly praised Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as ideological allies, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing U.S.-EU tensions have forced a recalibration. Even before taking office, PVV distanced itself from Putin, labelling him an aggressor while opposing military aid to Ukraine on fiscal grounds. Now, with Trump pressuring the EU to take on greater security responsibilities, PVV faces a dilemma: it campaigned on a “Netherlands First” platform, promising poverty alleviation over welfare-austerity, yet finds itself in an increasingly tight fiscal position despite already enforcing drastic budget cuts.

No ‘Nexit’ nomore?

On EU policy, PVV has shifted from outright “Nexit” advocacy toward a reformist stance, playing a pivotal role in pan-European far-right alliances. Initially (around 2010), the PVV operated primarily in international anti-Islam networks dominated by US organisations (Pamela Geller, David Horowitz). After 2015, the international focal point of the PVV shifted towards kindred spirits in Europe. It has pivoted toward broader coalitions, co-founding the Europe of Nations and Freedom group in 2015 (which later became Identity and Democracy in 2019), joining Patriots for Europe, and maintaining strong ties with Viktor Orbán and Marine Le Pen. Furthermore, last year Wilders gave a speech at the CPAC Hungary.

In the last Parliamentary Elections 2023 PVV gained 37 seats, 23,5% (biggest party) (2021: 17 seats, 10,8%) and in the European Elections 2024: 6 seats, member of PfE, 16,97% (2019: 0 seats, 3,5%).

Forum voor Democratie (Forum for Democracy, FvD)

To the PVV’s right, Thierry Baudet’s Forum for Democracy (FvD), once a rising force after its 2019 provincial election victory, has further solidified its marginal appeal following the aforementioned geopolitical shifts. Originally positioning itself as a hardline-conservative, intellectual alternative to PVV, FvD shifted its focus towards conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism and anti-establishment rhetoric particularly during COVID-19. Today, FvD is the only Dutch party with a strong Trump-supporting base, enabling it to endorse Trumpist policies like DOGE and Russian appeasement, stances largely unpopular in the Netherlands.

Initially starting in 2015 as a political think tank campaigning against the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, FvD transformed into a political party in 2016. Long accused of Kremlin ties, FvD has cultivated connections with pro-Russian ideologues such as Alexander Dugin and has been accused of being the beneficiary of Russian funding. Especially the director of the International Bureau of FvD, John Laughland, has been mentioned repeatedly as very closely related to the Kremlin. Furthermore, the party actively opposes NATO and, before Trump’s re-election, routinely criticized U.S. interventionism as ‘imperialist.’

FvD is AfD’s ally

Despite losing its European Parliament representation, FvD remains embedded in far-right transnational networks. Initially part of the ECR and later ID, it is now aligned with the Europe of Sovereign Nations faction after being expelled from ID for its Russophilia. The party was also founded with backing from the Transatlantic Christian Council, a group tied to the Agenda Europe movement. Last March (2025), FvD hosted an international gathering of the Patriots Network in Amsterdam.

In the last Parliamentary Elections 2023 FvD gained 3 seats, 2,2% (2021: 8 seats, 5,0%) and in the European Elections 2024 0 seats, 2,49% (2019: 3 seats, 10,9%).