Germany’s far-right holds off on new EU parliamentary group

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has second thoughts about forming a new parliamentary group out of fringe parties from the right, fearing close association with more extreme nationalistic viewpoints. 

After being shut out of the far-right ID group, now dominated by the French Rassemblement National, the German far-right AfD party has been looking to form its own group in the European Parliament. 

On Tuesday (25 June), the AfD delegation, headed by René Aust, decided not to proceed with their plan to announce a new parliamentary group, originally planned for the end of the week.

Instead, they now plan to first vet some of the potential future group members, as some elements of the party are afraid to be associated with an extremist image they attach to other parties in the Parliament, while they want to shed theirs, a source close to the matter told Euractiv. 

The party is under severe public scrutiny in Germany, and “in Brussels, we would then sit down with people who will say exactly [what people accuse the AfD of],” the source added. 

Multiple AfD sources explained that the group could have been formed as planned technically since the established list of candidates fulfilled the requirement of gathering 23 lawmakers from seven different countries. 

According to the first source, however, three of those candidate parties are now to be “checked one more time whether [they] are satisfactory.” 

The delegation wants to investigate further if an association with the Russian-friendly Hungarian Our Homeland Movement and nationalistic SOS Romania is feasible, while the extremist Republic Movement from Slovakia will also be looked at. 

It is feared that “they are uncontrollable,” the source said. 

Stuck between two rocks and a couple of hard places

Germany’s far-right party has a difficult decision to make where it wants to position itself for the future. 

For a party which is under investigation by the domestic intelligence service to define whether it is a confirmed extremist movement, the decision to ally with some of the most extreme nationalists in the European Parliament makes part of the AfD uncomfortable. 

In addition, a choice needs to be made between taking on the stigma of a non-attached party in the European Parliament, pushing them further into isolation, or risking being associated with a group of parties with fringe nationalist views, from whom the far-rights from Germany would like to stay away. 

The issue of forming their own parliamentary group is expected to be discussed at the federal party conference over the weekend. 

The final decision will likely be made when the EU delegation of the AfD meets again on Tuesday (2 July).

In order to be registered on time before the first plenary sitting of the European Parliament and benefit from a large sum for communication and parliamentary activities, a new group needs to be announced by next Thursday, 4 July. 

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet] 

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