Political Earthquake in Berlin: Could the AfD Topple United Europe?

On October 21, Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, arrived at the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. Strangely, she came to explain why this parliament should be abolished.

At a conference titled "Our New Deal for Europe," held on the sidelines of the plenary session and packed with attendees, Weidel revealed her party's European strategy, as reported by Le Figaro from Berlin, Brussels, and Strasbourg.

From "Leave the Union" to "Destroy It from Within"
The French newspaper noted a significant shift in the party's rhetoric. Years ago, the AfD openly called for Germany to leave the European Union.

Today, Weidel declares that the priority is radical reform, while threatening a referendum on exit if reforms fail.

The program issued in late September outlines what the party wants: abolishing the elected European Parliament, turning the Commission into a purely administrative body, replacing the Court of Justice of the European Union with an arbitration tribunal, withdrawing Germany from the Schengen Agreement and common policies on defense and migration, and transforming the EU budget into a tool of German leverage.

The most direct phrase in the AfD document states: "If Brussels rejects the path of reform, we will use our veto to block any European financial legislation and sharply reduce Germany's contributions."

2029.. The Deadline or the Referendum
The party sets 2029 as a red line, marking the year of simultaneous German legislative and European elections.

Weidel bets that the nationalist right will win those elections across the continent.

If the reform program is not adopted by that date, the party threatens to put Germany's EU membership to a referendum.

René Aust, a Member of the European Parliament and head of the "Europe of Sovereign Nations" group to which the party belongs, insists that this position has not changed: "The AfD's stance has always been reform first, then exit as a last resort if necessary."

First German Party.. No Governing Partners
The numbers give the party undeniable weight. Polls show 30% support for federal elections, leading clearly over the Christian Democratic Union led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

In the regional elections of September, it emerged stronger. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where it won, it came first without having any coalition partner for governance. Meanwhile, the Saxony-Anhalt elections scheduled for December will be closely watched by Europe.

Convergence with Le Pen and Meloni
From Strasbourg, Socialist MP Christophe Clergeau observed a shift in the landscape: "There is growing convergence between Weidel, French leader Marine Le Pen, and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni. Rhetorics intersect, and there is a clear desire to appear as responsible governments." Weidel confirmed: "We are working on it."

However, centrist French MP Sandro Gozi notes what seems to him a worrying phenomenon: "The conservative European People's Party (EPP) no longer hesitates to align its votes with those of the AfD and the far-right," particularly on migration issues, pointing out that the firewall isolating the AfD in the Bundestag has effectively collapsed in the European Parliament.

But the "Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN)" group, to which the AfD belongs and which includes French MEP Sarah Knafo, faces an investigation launched last July following a European Parliament vote supported by 414 MPs, against 224 opposed and 18 abstentions.

This investigation could lead to the banning of the group due to non-compliance with "European values," and also threatens the €2 million in European funding allocated to it this year.

German MEP Hildegard Bentele, from the EPP, summarizes the paradox in the AfD's strategy by saying the party "seeks recognition and resources from the very European institutions whose powers it aims to undermine."