The development follows former Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) MEP Jaak Madison joining the Center Party.

Toom, who is Center's vice-chair and has been an MEP for a decade, has vowed to remain a member of ALDE/Renew Europe, Center's current affiliation – and that of the Reform Party's sole MEP too for that matter.

The ECR is both a European Parliament group and a party in its own right, and has been described as "soft Eurosceptic anti-federalist."

It is the most eurosceptic of any parliamentary group since the disbanding of the EFDD, post-Brexit.

On the ECR, Toom said: "I find it very difficult to relate to this political group, to be honest."

Took told ERR that joining the ECR would thus not be the right choice for her, but was not sure whether her stance reflects the majority opinion within the party.

At the same time, she said she remains unafraid of any repercussions from the party for going against the official line.

"I am a member of the party's board and its vice-chair. That doesn't make me untouchable, but I know how to explain my position," adding that she sits on four committees and is coordinator on one, for employment and social affairs, "which means I have significant influence over Renew Europe's policies on social and employment issues."

"Giving that up would be foolish, as I have earned my place in this group over the years. Starting from scratch somewhere else, in a group that doesn't share my values, would be a very strange move," Toom went on.

Toom said she some potential positives in remaining with ALDE even as the rest of Center Party joins ECR, in that it would mean Center would have two footholds in two different European Parliament groups.

Jaak Madison, formerly of EKRE, left that party in early June and joined Center two-and-a-half months later, on August 22, doubling Center's MEP tally and leaving EKRE with none.

Center leader Mihhail Kõlvart promptly announced that the party's leadership had proposed a reconsideration of parliamentary group affiliation at the European Parliament, in order to select a group that best reflects the party's centrist ideology and Estonia's national interests.

Kõlvart listed the green transition as not being something that should hinder the economic development of Europe or Estonia, and acknowledged that the Center Party's core positions are more aligned with ECR than with ALDE.

Madison was already a member of the ECR group.

Center is set on Saturday to discuss the matter further.

Both Toom and Madison were re-elected at the June European Parliament elections.

Later on Saturday, the Center Party board, meeting in Jõgeva, chose to leave ALDE/Renew Europe, saying that there has been a drift in that group away from the Center Party's core values.

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