The AfD is pushing the establishment of a European foundation. According to “Der Spiegel” the “Sovereignty Foundation” is expected to receive a total of 1.1 million euros in grants from the European Parliament in 2026, with 275,000 euros already disbursed. This sovereigntist foundation, registered last September, is closely associated with the EU party Europa der Souveränen Nationen (ESN). The AfD allied with the Polish party Nowa Nadzieja and the French Reconquete in 2024, a pattern echoed by this foundation’s ties. The foundation’s president is AfD politician Alexander Sell. Sell informed “Der Spiegel” that the current EU funding is being used to build the foundation’s organizational structures. He stated, “We aim to promote scholarly and cultural exchange with experts from across Europe through conferences, fellowships, and publications”. Furthermore, he mentioned plans for a “student essay competition on European issues” to support the development of young scholars. Meanwhile, in Germany, the AfD has so far struggled to secure funding for its Desiderius-Erasmus foundation, despite efforts modeled after other parties. According to the Act on Foundation Funding, established in 2023 and agreed upon by the CDU/CSU, SPD, Greens, and FDP, no funding can be granted to a foundation closely linked to a political party if there is a “constitutionally hostile taint of the political mainstream”. The Federal Ministry of the Interior has been conducting an appropriate review of this matter for several months now.
Politics
