Marine Le Pen, leader of National Rally’s group in France’s National Assembly, and Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel have outlined competing plans to shift authority inside the European Union, with differences on taxes, spending and energy.
Le Pen’s institutional proposal would recast the European Commission as a secretariat serving national governments, according to her remarks in Brussels on Oct. 14. The AfD paper, dated Sept. 29, would limit the Commission to administrative work and seek opt-outs from some EU policies. It would place national parliaments in charge of choosing their countries’ representatives in the European Parliament, ending direct voter selection. The paper also proposes a referendum on Germany’s EU membership if its reform effort fails.
The elections proposal would require a treaty revision: EU treaties provide for direct elections to Parliament and require every member state to ratify treaty amendments under its own constitutional rules.
Fiscal policy is another dividing line. Le Pen wants France’s annual net contribution to the EU budget capped at €5 billion, a proposal covered in earlier coverage of her EU budget plan. She has also called for harmonized EU taxes on tobacco and alcohol, plus a common corporate tax for large companies. Le Pen wants the European Central Bank (ECB) to give greater weight to growth and employment. The AfD paper opposes giving EU institutions fiscal authority and says the ECB should prioritize price stability. Euronews reported that Le Pen opposes common EU debt; the AfD paper also rejects it.
Their energy plans also diverge. Le Pen supports a carbon border tax and has proposed linking some national contributions to the EU budget to emissions. The AfD says each country should set its own energy mix, listing coal, gas, nuclear power and renewables.
The AfD paper identifies 2029 as a pivotal year for its reform effort, linking it to the European election cycle.
