Anadolu Agency reported that Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel proposed shifting authority from EU institutions to national governments and parliaments, putting control of the bloc’s decisions at the center of a policy presentation in Strasbourg.
At a media briefing at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Weidel presented the party’s EU policy paper, Anadolu Agency reported. “We need to rebuild the European Union,” she said. She backed changes to the bloc’s treaties and an option for member states to step outside EU obligations if the union failed to meet major duties set out in the agreements. Weidel also cited pressure on household purchasing power and said the EU had less influence in efforts to resolve crises abroad, including the war in Ukraine.
Politico reported that a broader AfD program would shrink the EU budget and put Germany’s contributions at risk. The plan would also let national legislatures select European Parliament members, limit the European Commission to administrative duties and transfer the European Court of Justice’s role to an arbitration tribunal, Politico reported. EconoTimes previously covered the AfD’s EU budget and contribution proposal.
Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that the AfD hopes to pursue its EU agenda in 2029, when German and European elections are scheduled. DW also traced the party’s 2013 founding to opposition to euro bailouts and deeper European integration.
