European politicians from the AfD have abandoned their previous calls for an immediate German exit from the Euro system, choosing instead to advocate for a fundamental restructuring of the EU and the currency union. According to a strategy paper released by the party, the AfD envisions reorganizing the Union into a “federation of sovereign nations” and demands comprehensive reforms to the common currency. The paper initially calls for profound changes to both the EU and the Euro; should these reform attempts fail, the AfD suggests that the German populace should be given a vote on the future European and monetary course of the country. This document was reportedly discussed on September 29th during a meeting involving members of the European Parliament, the Bundestag, and various state parliaments.
Regarding the Euro, the AfD politicians criticize the existing structure, calling it a fundamental failure. They argue that the monetary union has effectively created a “debt and liability union through the back door.” Specific demands include ending what they term “indirect ECB state financing,” balancing out TARGET deficits, and implementing insolvency rules for member states. The ultimate goal is to establish the Euro on a viable foundation that rests on national self-responsibility and liability.
For the EU itself, the party advocates for a significant return of competencies to individual national states. It suggests that the EU should concentrate primarily on “the effective protection of the European external borders, the common internal market, the cross-border fight against crime, as well as the collaboration and coordination of security policy questions.” Furthermore, the AfD calls for national exceptions, or “opt-outs,” particularly in areas such as migration, social, and financial policies.
The proposed changes also include institutional reforms. AfD members support abolishing the direct election of the European Parliament, instead arguing that delegates should be dispatched from the national parliaments. The strategy paper states that “each national representative body elects its delegates according to the majority ratios within its own country, thereby immediately bringing democratic legitimacy into the European deliberative work.” René Aust, the president of the ESN faction, which includes the AfD in the EU Parliament, told “Bild”, “We are demonstrating with this position paper that we are a pro-European party. We want to cooperate with our neighbors.”
