Germany’s AfD quietly settles down in Brussels and plots expansion
Source: Euractiv
BRUSSELS — Months after a tumultuous EU parliamentary election campaign, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been slowly settling into calmer waters in Brussels – and even looking to expand their new far-right parliamentary group.
A series of scandals during the June election for the European Parliament left the AfD alienated from other far-right European parties and more isolated than ever in Brussels.
But a surge in support during Germany’s recent general election in late February, endorsements by Elon Musk, and a bilateral meeting with US Vice-President JD Vance have all given the AfD international attention and—at least in the eyes of some—new-found legitimacy.
The AfD’s freshly won prestige is particularly noticeable in the European Parliament, where international cooperation is a daily routine. Once a lonely faction forced to form their own group after the EU elections, the party is now looking to expand their Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN).
The AfD has been negotiating with at least two potential new members, party sources confirmed to Euractiv. The Greek far-right party Niki (Victory) and Spain’s anti-establishment SALF party were recently in talks with the ESN.
“We are expecting the leader of SALF, Alvise Pérez, to join around April or May,” a source close to the negotiations said.
Difficult beginnings
Just a few months ago, the Germans had been pushed to the sidelines by their like-minded colleagues in Brussels, amid spying probes and inflammatory remarks.
Ultimately, the AfD was kicked out of the former far-right group Identity & Democracy (ID), led by Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, who feared embarrassing headlines about the AfD might cost them votes in the run-up to European and French elections.
Without their former allies, the Germans struggled to form their own faction in Brussels, as most candidates had already found a place in more established structures.
Left with a wild bunch of other far-right renegades, the AfD established the European Sovereign Nations – the smallest and most extreme group in the European Parliament.
Many feared that this coalition of leftovers would continue the string of scandals that had dogged the AfD, however, to the surprise of many—including party members—no major controversies have leaked to the public since.
International prestige
The recent German election has given the AfD a significant push, as their rise in popularity was not only widely covered in the country, but attracted extensive international attention as well.
Open endorsements from Musk and the decision by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to welcome the AfD’s top candidate, Alice Weidel, like a visiting head of state, put the party squarely on the world stage.
Even the French felt obligated to reapproach the AfD in Brussels, inviting them—alongside the conservative ECR group—to cooperate on topics of common interest.
Leaders of the AfD’s Austrian sister party, the Freedom Party (FPÖ), are relieved that the tensions between the Germans and other far-right groups are winding down.
“I think it is extremely important that there is cooperation, and at some point, I also think it is extremely important that perhaps one day there will be a substantial right-wing group in the European Parliament,” Austrian far-right MEP Petra Steger told Euractiv on the night of the German election.
The two parties have always been close but were recently divided into the two main groups – Patriots and Sovereigntists – on the far right in the European Parliament.
Expansion plans
Now, the AfD is looking to stabilise and secure its ESN.
“We do not report on confidential discussions. However, you can be sure that the parliamentary group will be larger at the end of the legislative period than it is today,” ESN co-chair René Aust told Euractiv.
SALF, one of the potential new members and the Spanish surprise during the EU elections, was supposed to be part of ESN from the beginning, but previously pulled out at the last minute. Two of their three MEPs ended up joining ECR, leaving behind their party leader, Luise “Alvise” Pérez.
Pérez was tipped by some as the rising star in Spain’s far-right scene after the European election, when the provocateur led his SALF to win more than 800,000 votes, securing three seats.
Next to SALF, the single MEP from the Greek far-right party Niki had also been in the discussion to join the Germans in the aftermath of the EU elections. A second round of negotiations was held at the end of last year.
“The ball is now in their court to officially hand in their application,” a different AfD source explained.
Still, the first source was not convinced that the former Greek model would eventually join.
Silent acquisitions
But the ESN has grown even without adding new parties to the membership list.
Earlier this year, the controversial Slovak MEP Milan Mazurek joined his party colleagues in the far-right group. Although his extremist antics had been cited as keeping him out of the ESN when the group was founded, he has now quietly joined them.
The second source said that the issue surrounding Mazurek’s extremist stance “could be cleared up positively, and we took him in”.
Another controversial figure who isn’t part of the Brussels AfD team any more is Maximilian Krah.
Once the AfD’s top candidate for the EU elections, Krah played a starring role in the AfD’s bitter fallout with Le Pen and his party’s expulsion from the Le Pen-led ID group.
A top staffer for Krah, however, has left the realm on allegations of espionage, while some of Krah’s own remarks – such as comments to an Italian newspaper in which he said that not all members of the Nazi SS should be seen as criminals – provoked outrage.
Krah has since left Brussels to take a seat in the German Bundestag after winning a direct mandate in February’s federal election.
Even though he’d been kept out of the AfD’s delegation in the European Parliament, his departure creates an empty seat for the AfD, which will be taken up by Volker Schnurbusch.
The delegation confirmed that Schnurbusch, unlike Krah, will also be added to the ESN.
Calmer waters
The potential new member from Spain is expected to bring some long-term stability to the group. That’s not so much because Peréz is known to be a great team player or motivator as the simple fact that he adds another new national delegation to the mix.
Groups in the European Parliament must have members from at least seven different EU countries. With eight different countries currently represented, the ESN would be facing possible internal struggles if anyone decided to part ways.
That possibility is not far-fetched, as Polish MEPs from the Konfederacja party are currently split between the AfD-dominated ESN and the more well-established and powerful Patriots of Europe group, led by Orbán and Le Pen. That has meant that the ESN’s two Polish members have remained a constant threat.
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