by Gregor Spitzen
[Regnum] The supranational institution in Brussels, which is depriving European states of a good half of their sovereignty in both foreign and domestic affairs, has long been a thorn in the side of some nationally oriented political elites. This is especially true in donor countries, which are forced to support the failing economies of southern and eastern Europe with their contributions, essentially huge black holes for European taxpayers' money.
However, anti-European centrifugal political currents have long been considered marginal in the world of victorious liberal democracy. Some critics in Brussels even consider them foreign-inspired enemies of a united Europe.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has presented proposals for radical reform of the European Union.
"For me, the European Union is no longer a union of sovereign states," party leader Alice Weidel said in English during a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. She criticized the fact that the European Commission, which is not directly elected, is the only institution that can propose laws that apply throughout Europe.
According to her, this is a "serious violation of the system of mutual control and democratic decision-making." "Therefore, we declare that we need to restructure the European Union, that we must return powers to national parliaments and governments," Weidel said.
The current principle in the EU is that European law, agreed upon by 27 states, takes precedence over national law. "The European Council will become the central decision-making body; heads of state and government will directly discuss issues and make decisions," states the AfD's concept.
The AfD demands that elections to the European Parliament, which is supposed to be composed of delegates from national parliaments, be abolished. The European Court of Justice should become a mere arbitration court, and national law should take precedence over EU law.
Asylum procedures must be transferred to third countries, and there must be no solidarity distribution of asylum seekers within the EU. Furthermore, it is emphasized that any LGBTQ propaganda* must be eliminated from educational institutions.
Weidel identified the possibility of withdrawing from pan-European agreements as another key point of AfD European policy. For example, if the Schengen area ceases to function, Germany should withdraw from it and protect its borders.
The Schengen Area is a territory in Europe where people can, in principle, travel without border controls. However, Germany has introduced internal border controls, and other countries have also restricted the Schengen Area.
Weidel also criticized the European Central Bank's purchase of government bonds.
Other AfD proposals include the abolition of the Green Deal and carbon trading. Nuclear power, gas, and coal should be re-introduced for energy production.
Furthermore, the document calls for a "fundamental overhaul" of the euro system due to "structural failures." Among other things, the European Central Bank (ECB) should "strictly adhere to its original mandate of ensuring price stability," and Germany's voice in the ECB Council should be strengthened.
Meanwhile, back in August, Weidel confirmed her party's intention to leave the eurozone if it came to power. When journalists asked her whether she, as stated in her program document, reaffirmed her intention to remain in the EU and the eurozone, Weidel replied that the party "openly discusses and even debates what the best solution for the European Union should be and what Germany's role in the European Union should be."
To advance various initiatives, Germany must exercise its veto over the EU budget. If the restructuring of the Union does not proceed according to the party's plans, AfD politicians intend to hold a referendum on Germany's EU membership. They emphasize, however, that the AfD only wants to reform pan-European structures and make them more transparent, not to dismantle them.
"We are a pro-European party. We are committed to cooperation and constructive dialogue," emphasized René Aust, chairman of the AfD group in the European Parliament. " We stand for the European Union, for a Europe of homelands, in which European states are equal."
Two days earlier, at the AfD party congress in Leverkusen, Alice Weidel was more radical, declaring that a new concept was needed to “deconstruct” Europe so that it does not become “an uncontrollable monster in the style of the Soviet Union.”
Among Weidel's other radical ideas, not voiced in Brussels, is a total reduction in the number of European bureaucratic staff: "We could simply fire 30,000 officials, and no one would even notice." The entire European Commission has about 30,000 officials, and the EU as a whole has about 60,000.
The AfD initiative comes after French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen recently held a press conference in Brussels and announced similar plans.
In Brussels, she stated that a “Europe of Nations” means, above all, that the European Commission, which today constantly exceeds its mandate, must once again assume the role of a “secretariat” at the service of nations, delegating its powers to the heads of state and government.
Le Pen also calls for putting pressure on European institutions through the budget and intends to reduce France's contribution to the EU budget to €5 billion.
Le Pen's National Rally and AfD have effectively fallen out and are no longer part of the same faction in the European Parliament, but they still have much in common on programmatic issues.
Alternative for Germany is part of the European Sovereign Nations (ESN) faction. With 27 of the 719 seats, it is the smallest group.
Related:
Alice Weidel 09/13/2026 Non-Germans Considerably Overrepresented in Bavarian Murder Suspect Statistics
Alice Weidel 09/08/2026 Merz's Humiliation: AfD Smashes CDU and Wants to Restore Relations with Russia
Alice Weidel 09/07/2026 Right-wing AfD party notches historic win in Germany: ‘We are going to see explosive growth’ (if AfD is permitted to form a government)
Alice Weidel 09/13/2026 Non-Germans Considerably Overrepresented in Bavarian Murder Suspect Statistics
Alice Weidel 09/08/2026 Merz's Humiliation: AfD Smashes CDU and Wants to Restore Relations with Russia
Alice Weidel 09/07/2026 Right-wing AfD party notches historic win in Germany: ‘We are going to see explosive growth’ (if AfD is permitted to form a government)