Volt Europa-affiliated MEPs hold five seats at the European Parliament.

Ilves joined the movement on April 10, the party announced Thursday.

In his announcement, Ilves, who was head of state for two terms (2006–2016), listed human rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and free and fair elections as all at risk, adding that fundamental reforms are needed for Europe's survival.

The move means he will break a long-held rule of remaining apolitical in terms of party membership. He had been a member of the Social Democrats (SDE), leaving after being elected president.

"Taking all these factors into account, I have decided to break my earlier pledge to avoid party politics and have joined Volt – a party which is still certainly small today, but whose views, in my estimation, embody exactly that which Europe needs to deal with today's multiple existential crises. Joining a party means sharing its values. I share Volt's values," he wrote on Volt's website.

Ilves stressed that Europe needs a strategic Zeitenwende, a turning point in key areas: Defense, foreign policy, finance, the single market, innovation and tech regulations, energy policies, and decision-making.

"Above all, Europe must overcome its own lethargy – the unwillingness to tackle complex reforms and internal disputes," Ilves noted.

"The challenges facing the EU today have changed significantly. Starting with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its openly hostile and threatening attitude toward Europe, to a hostile U.S. administration which has shattered the transatlantic relationship that had prevailed for the past 80 years – we must ask ourselves: will our European way of life endure?" wrote Ilves.

According to Ilves, Europe must now pull itself together and take action in defense and security policy.

He also called for a pan-European capital market to enable the kind of investment that has helped the U.S. achieve a leading position in tech. "Far beyond Europe, where we must quickly and vigorously catch up, especially in the field of artificial intelligence. If we do not address these issues, we will change into a poor periphery, like we last were in the Middle Ages," Ilves continued.

Volt's website states that the party and Ilves share a core goal – to build a Europe that is sustainable, successful, and capable of leading sustainable change in an era of uncertainty and turmoil.

Founded in 2017, Volt Europa is a transnational pro-European and federalist political movement operating as a pan-European umbrella for subsidiary parties sharing the same name and branding. Affiliated MEPs sit with the Greens/European Free Alliance group at the European Parliament.

The movement ran a pan-European program in the 2019 European Parliament elections across eight member states. It advocates EU-wide reforms including joint migration management, a common EU army, eurobonds, digitization, green investment, welfare, equality, and tackling issues like climate change and technological disruption.

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