European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has accused Geert Wilders and other far-right leaders in Europe of working with Vladimir Putin to “destroy” the EU.

At her press conference in Berlin on Monday, Von der Leyen said the security of the EU and its democratic structures would be a key issue during the European Parliament elections in June, when parties such as Wilders’s PVV and the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) are forecast to make gains.

“We must be clear that our opponents, Putin and his friends, whether they are from the AfD, or whether it’s Marine Le Pen or Wilders or other extremist forces … want to destroy Europe,” she said.

The 65-year-old is hoping to secure a second term as commissioner after the elections, but that could be jeopardised if the parties forming the hard-right Identity and Democracy group, including the PVV, win enough seats.

Current polls suggest the centre-right European People’s Party faction, will remain the largest group with around 180 of the 720 seats, but the ID group is projected to add 15 to 20 seats to its current 76.

Greens fading

The big losers are expected to be the Greens, who could drop from 68 seats to less than 50. Climate change has moved down the list of European voters’ priorities, while demonstrations by farmers against domestic and EU agriculture policies have flared up since the turn of the year.

Von der Leyen was narrowly elected in 2019 with the support of the EPP, the centre-left Socialists and Democrats, the Greens and the liberal Renew group, which includes the Dutch VVD and D66 parties.

Wilders called Putin’s government a “barbaric regime” following the death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny on Friday, but he has also called for military aid to Ukraine to be stopped and claimed Ukrainians were fleeing to the Netherlands “not because of the war, but for free housing, healthcare and jobs“.

In 2017 he spoke out against “hysterical Russophobia” and said he regarded Russia as an ally in the fight against terrorism and migration. The following year he visited Moscow as a guest of the Duma.