AfD leader Weidel to unveil plan to abolish European Parliament elections — Politico Europe

In Strasbourg, France, Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, will present an EU reform plan at the European Parliament on Wednesday. It envisages replacing direct elections to the European Parliament with a system of delegates, reducing the role of the European Commission, and allowing Berlin not to apply some common EU policies, Politico reports.

Review of EU treaties and powers

According to an AfD policy document, the party will initially not seek Germany’s withdrawal from the EU or the eurozone. Instead, it proposes revising the European Union’s treaties, limiting the powers of its institutions and reducing the bloc’s budget.

AfD wants to replace direct elections to the European Parliament with delegates appointed by national parliaments. Under the party’s plan, the European Commission would perform only administrative functions, while decision-making should be transferred to national capitals. The party also proposes replacing the EU’s highest court with an arbitration tribunal.

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Budget, ECB and exemptions for Berlin

The plan envisages cutting and limiting the EU budget, freezing staff numbers and abolishing agencies. AfD also proposes using veto power to abolish budget revenues from VAT and the plastic tax. The document states that if Brussels refuses reforms, the party will use its veto to block future legislation on EU financing and will seek a substantial reduction in Germany’s contributions to the common budget.

Separately, AfD advocates greater voting weight for the eurozone’s large economies in the European Central Bank and opposes the digital euro. The party proposes exemptions for Germany from EU rules in the areas of migration, taxation, social policy, defence and joint borrowing. If the EU’s green policies are not abolished, it will also seek exemptions in industrial, agricultural and financial policy.

AfD names 2029, when the next European Parliament elections and federal elections in Germany are due to take place, as the start of implementing the reforms. If the proposals cannot be implemented, the party says it will put the question of Germany’s EU membership to a referendum.