AfD lawmakers propose overhaul of EU and euro over immediate German exit

Shift in founding policy

Lawmakers from Alternative for Germany (AfD) have drafted an internal strategy paper proposing a move away from the party's long-standing demand for Germany to exit the European Union and abolish the euro. The party was established in 2013 primarily in opposition to eurozone bailout packages, and its 2025 federal election programme called for Germany to quit the common currency and the EU. The strategy document, discussed at a parliamentary gathering on 29 September 2026 and published by Bild on 5 October 2026, replaces immediate withdrawal with an agenda of deep treaty renegotiation. Under this framework, a national referendum on EU membership would serve only as a fallback measure if reform attempts fail.

Blueprint for a looser union

The document outlines the conversion of the European Union into a "union of sovereign nations" centered on the single market, external border protection, cross-border crime prevention, and targeted technology initiatives. It demands explicit national opt-outs for Germany in migration, social policy, EU budget contributions, and common debt issuance. The authors also seek structural changes to European institutions, proposing the abolition of direct elections to the European Parliament in favor of delegates appointed by national parliaments according to their domestic party strengths. On monetary policy, the paper claims the eurozone has become a debt union through the back door, calling for an end to indirect European Central Bank state financing, the settlement of TARGET balances, and a sovereign insolvency mechanism.

René Aust, leader of the Europe of Sovereign Nations group and head of the AfD delegation in the European Parliament, described the document to Bild.

We show with this position paper that we are a pro-European party.

Aust added that the party wants to cooperate with neighboring countries, maintain the free movement of goods and persons, and jointly secure the external borders.

Strategic aims ahead of 2029

The proposed policy adjustment aligns with the party's aim of entering the federal government by 2029. The AfD finished second behind Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative bloc in the 2025 national election, building on anti-immigration campaigns that began following the 2015 refugee influx. While the party has achieved electoral victories in eastern regions such as Saxony-Anhalt, upcoming state elections in western industrial regions including North Rhine-Westphalia, the Saarland, and Schleswig-Holstein present a different electorate reliant on export manufacturing. Germany's mainstream parties maintain a policy of non-cooperation with the AfD, which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies as suspected right-wing extremist.

Internal debate and platform timeline

The strategy paper was formulated jointly by AfD deputies from the European Parliament, the federal Bundestag, and state legislatures, with party co-leader Tino Chrupalla attending the 29 September 2026 discussions. The document follows an interview on 23 August 2026 where co-leader Alice Weidel described the euro as a soft currency on ZDF television and called for terminating the Schengen Agreement. AfD parliamentary European affairs spokesman Peter Boehringer maintained that seeking treaty renegotiation before withdrawal is consistent with the party's existing positions rather than a fundamental pivot. Any binding change to the AfD's formal party platform must be put to a vote at a federal party convention scheduled for next year.