Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, will present a plan to reduce the size and power of the European Union in the European Parliament on Wednesday. This proposal includes the elimination of direct elections to the European Parliament, a reduction in the role of the European Commission, and allowing Berlin to exit the EU's common policies.
Consequences of the AfD Plan
This plan is being presented as far-right parties are trying to strengthen their position across Europe. Recent victories for the AfD in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have given the party renewed motivation. Weidel will emphasize that the goal of her party is not to exit the Union or the Eurozone, but rather to renegotiate the Union's treaties and reduce its power.
The AfD plan also includes replacing direct elections to the European Parliament with representatives appointed by national parliaments, reducing the Commission's role to administrative matters, and transferring decision-making to national capitals. The party also calls for replacing the European Court of Justice with an arbitration court.
Financial and Economic Details
The AfD's program refers to reducing and limiting the EU budget, freezing the number of staff, and eliminating institutions. The party will use its veto power to eliminate revenue from value-added tax and plastic tax, threatening to stop Berlin's contributions to the common budget to push forward its desired reforms.
The AfD plan also calls for increasing the voting power of the larger Eurozone economies in the European Central Bank and rejecting the digital Euro. The party argues that Berlin should be exempt from EU rules in areas of immigration, taxation, social policy, defense, and joint borrowing. Additionally, if the EU's green policies do not change and significant changes in industrial, agricultural, and financial policies are not made, the party will also seek exemptions from these areas.
The program points to 2029 as the appropriate time to begin implementing reforms, coinciding with the European Parliament elections and the federal elections in Germany. Weidel states that a right-wing nationalist majority in the European Parliament may become a reality in that year.
The AfD has announced that if their reforms do not succeed, they will put Germany's membership in the European Union to a public vote.
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