The European Parliament group to which Fianna Fail belongs AIL in the European Parliament is likely soon to welcome members of an Italian party which has its origins in the neo-fascist movement.
The party, Alleanza Nazionale (AN), has been doing its utmost to distance itself from its anti-democratic past and now describes itself as mainstream centre-right.
Affiliation by the 10 deputies of AN to the Union for Europe (UFE) - which is currently dominated by Fianna Fail and the French Gaullists - will bring the combined group significantly greater parliamentary resources.
Its leader, Mr Gian-franco Fini, who is enthusiastic about the linkup, met the Taoiseach in Dublin in December to discuss the issue. He has also met the Gaullist leader, Mr Philippe Seguin.
Fianna Fail MEP Mr Liam Hyland attended the last AN party congress in Milan as an observer.
Following the meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Fini told journalists Mr Ahern was "amenable" to AN's membership of the UFE.
AN emerged from the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) in the mid-1990s. The party had refused to have anything to do with far-right groups such as the French National Front in the European Parliament, a spokesman said, adding, "AN is not a continuation of the MSI, but a new formation."
A Fianna Fail spokesman insisted that AN's democratic credentials were a sine qua non of its membership of the UFE, and stressed that a decision had yet to be made.
