Amsterdam - The controversial Dutch Freedom Party PVV formally announced Monday it would participate in the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 4.

The Freedom Party PVV said one of its current legislators, Barry Madlener, would lead the party list.

The liberal-rightist Freedom Party, established by Geert Wilders after he was ejected from the Liberal VVD party in September 2004, is known for its strong criticism on Islam, Dutch migrant policy and Euro-skepticism.

On January 21, an Amsterdam court ordered the public prosecutor Wilders should be prosecuted for alleged offensive and discriminatory remarks he made about the Islam and migrants.

Wilders has on several occasions referred to Islam as a "backward culture" and the Koran as a "fascist book".

He also warned of the spread of radical Islam and the alleged "Islamization" of the Netherlands in Fitna, a 16-minute political film released on the internet on March 27, 2008.

Speaking to the Dutch daily newspaper Volkskrant, Madlener said his party opposes what it calls far-reaching influence from Brussels on national politics.

Madlener said "Europe should not become a super state, but limit itself to economic cooperation. The 2005 referendum about a European constitution also demonstrated that this is what the people want."

In 2005, a 54,9 majority of Dutch nationals voted against a European constitution.

Madlener said the PVV would prefer the European Parliament ultimately to be abolished.

"The European Union should only have an economic function. Legislation and law enforcement belongs to the national arena."

The Freedom Party is also very critical of the EU's financial system.

"The Dutch are financing road building in Portugal and Poland while traffic problems increase in the Netherlands. We want our money back," Madlener said.

The PVV has not yet decided whether it will seek cooperation with liberal-rightist parties from other countries such as Belgian Vlaams Belang.

The Dutch Freedom party, which opposes Turkish membership of the EU and wants to remove Bulgaria from EU, is hoping for "2 to 4 seats" in the European Parliament.

Late March, Dutch polling agencies predicted a major electoral victory for the Freedom Party if general elections would be held today in the Netherlands.

The party, which holds nine of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament, would get between 24 and 32 seats if elections were held today, polling agencies said.

This would make the Freedom Party the third or, respectively, the second largest party of the Netherlands. (dpa)