BRUSSELS, October 20. /TASS/. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is proposing to abolish direct elections to the European Parliament, limit the powers of the European Commission, and return decision-making powers to national capitals, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing a party document.
According to the report, the AfD seeks to replace direct European Parliament elections with delegates appointed by national legislatures. It also aims to strip the European Commission of its political mandate, reducing it to a purely administrative body, while shifting key decisions to national leaders. Furthermore, the party advocates replacing the European Court of Justice (ECJ) with an arbitration panel to settle intergovernmental disputes.
The AfD’s blueprint also envisions slashing the EU budget, freezing recruitment across EU institutions, and dismantling several specialized agencies. Additionally, the party wants to scrap EU budget revenues from VAT and plastic taxes, boost the clout of major Eurozone economies within the European Central Bank (ECB), and block the introduction of the digital euro.
The party intends to secure opt-outs for Germany from EU-wide rules on migration, taxation, welfare, defense, and joint debt issuance.
The document identifies 2029-- when both EU and German federal elections take place--as "the moment to start implementing the reforms," "when right-wing majority in the European Parliament is coming within reach," the publication says. Should these sweeping reforms fail, the AfD plans to push for a referendum on Germany’s EU membership.
Earlier Politico reported that AfD co-leader Alice Weidel is to address an event at the European Parliament titled "Our New Course for Europe," where she is expected to outline her vision for the future of European cooperation.