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What is the AfD to do about the EU and NATO?

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Last month, the draft manifesto of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections was leaked to the press, unveiling one of its most prominent stances – advocating a ‘controlled disintegration of the EU’. Despite labeling the EU as ‘deeply undemocratic’ and raising doubts about the legitimacy of the EP, the AfD is actively preparing for the 2024 elections with a robust ‘eurosceptic’ list.

During the first part of the AfD congress last weekend, however, party leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel referred to the term ‘controlled disintegration’ in the manifesto as an ‘editorial oversight’ and stated that it would be removed in the second part of the congress this weekend.

These statements created a commotion within the party. Björn Höcke, the party’s Thuringia chief and alleged member of the ‘radical’ faction, insists on retaining the statement and has even threatened a ‘revolt’ if he is not given the opportunity to speak. On the other hand, Christine Anderson, ranked fourth on the EP list and allegedly part of the ‘moderate’ wing of the party, continues to advocate for Germany’s immediate departure from the EU.

A federation of nation-states instead of the EU

“We demand a restructuring of Europe in order to use the potential of nation-states and rebuild the bridge to the east,” Chrupalla said last month.

Arguing that the European Union ‘usurps national competences without replacing the nation-state’ and that the European Commission is ‘not democratic enough’ because it ‘lacks legitimacy’, Chrupalla also cited EU sanctions against Russia as a prime example of the EU’s ‘illegitimacy’, saying they ‘do not benefit citizens’ and lead to rising inflation and stagnation.

Instead of the EU, the AfD proposes ‘a new European economic and interest-based community, a league of European nations’, the co-chairman said.

AfD’s quest for ‘Staatsvolk’

In its manifesto, the AfD explicitly rejects the idea of a ‘federal Europe’. “Such an entity has neither a Staatsvolk, which are necessary prerequisites for successful states, nor the necessary minimum cultural identity,” the AfD’s draft reads.

The emphasis on Staatsvolk is ours. In literal translation, the concept of ‘people of the state’ encompasses both all national origins of a sovereign state and another, more ‘ethnonationalist’ meaning, which emphasizes the dominant national element in a sovereign state to the exclusion of other minorities. The first meaning refers to all citizens living on the territory of a country, regardless of their ethnic origin; the second refers to an exclusionary ethnonationalism.

It is important to remember that the meaning of many words in Germany was transformed with the National Socialist government. ‘Volk’ is one of them. This word, which we can easily translate into Turkish as ‘people’, for example came to refer to the German nation bound by blood and soil in the Nazi dictionary.

There are clearly people within the AfD who can defend both meanings of Staatsvolk. The AfD’s arguments in the manifesto strongly revolve around the concepts of ‘nation’, ‘sovereignty’ and ‘identity’. The terms ‘nation’ and ‘national’ alone appear 145 times in the election program.

Is the AfD changing instead of the EU?

The AfD argues that decisions should not be made in Brussels but at the center of the nation-state. The program’s introduction talks about ‘globalist elites’ taking over the EU.

The debate around the controlled disintegration of the EU could become even more heated now that the AfD has accepted the application to join the right-wing group Identity and Democracy (ID) in the EP. The current main ID parties, the French National Union (Marine Le Pen) and the Italian Lega (Matteo Salvini), seem to have softened their positions on a federal Europe.

Marine Le Pen, for example, has abandoned her previous advocacy of dissolving the EU and is instead pushing for a ‘fundamental reform’ of the bloc. Similarly, the Lega is now gradually abandoning its ‘eurosceptic’ ideas and is trying to build a broad alliance with center-right forces for the upcoming elections.

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk at the end of last month, Harald Weye, the AfD parliamentary group’s spokesman for European policy, argued that the phrase ‘controlled disintegration of the EU’ was literally ‘one person’s grammatical carelessness’. In the elections of 2017, 2019 and 2021, the AfD openly advocated a ‘Dexit’ – Germany’s exit from the EU – as a ‘must’. The program for the 2021 Bundestag elections stated: “The transformation of the European Union into a planned economic superstate in recent years has led us to the realization that our fundamental reform approaches cannot be implemented in the EU. We consider it necessary for Germany to leave the European Union and establish a new European economic and interest community,” it said.

AfD’s plan for a ‘more German Europe’

An analysis of the Magdeburg party conference in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (faz) claims that the co-chairs have different views on the issue. According to faz, Alice Weidel sees withdrawal as absurd, but Tino Chrupalla is as sympathetic to a controlled break-up of the EU as he is to withdrawal from NATO.

According to a report in WELT, sources close to AfD leader Weidel say that the AfD is advocating a softer wording in order not to scare its partners in the ID, including its allies in the EP, the National Union and the Lega. Weidel recently told Stern, “I prefer to talk about breaking up the EU into parts, which makes sense in some parts, such as common security and defense policy. But that’s where it has failed so far,” he said.

A similar attitude can be seen in the attitude towards the eurozone. “Germany doesn’t need the euro,” the party’s 2013 Bundestag election campaign said. The following year, this position was softened and a ‘more flexible monetary order’ was proposed for the EU and ‘the stability-oriented euro countries should create a smaller monetary system among themselves on the basis of the Maastricht Treaty’.

Ten years later, the draft European Election Program for 2024 does not even mention leaving the Eurozone. It is now only about changing the Eurosystem. In fact, the AfD’s proposal to keep Germany in the eurozone and introduce a more ‘stability-oriented’ monetary system is criticized as making the EU ‘even more German than before’. The European economic area, which is very favorable for German capital, should remain with a common currency, but the costs of maintaining it should be reduced. Above all, there should be no ‘transfer payments’ to other countries at Germany’s expense.

It is important to note that the AfD is not alone. During the Greek crisis, the Free Democrats (FDP), and Frank Schäffler in particular, opposed the bailout package for Greece and financial aid for the Eurozone in general. There is no doubt that these ideas are also quite widespread within the CDU/CSU.

Germany’s withdrawal from NATO is being discussed

In addition to the EU, another topic of discussion is the US and NATO.

In the party’s European election manifesto, seven AfD state leaders, including Björn Höcke, call for ‘European states to finally take responsibility for their own security in their own hands’ and describe NATO as ‘the so-called protective umbrella of a distant hegemon’.

The Seven’s motion argues that the ‘Zeitenwende’ (turning point) that Chancellor Olaf Scholz proposed last year for the reform of the German army should mean that European states should ‘take responsibility for their own security into their own hands’ instead of seeking refuge under the ‘so-called protective umbrella of a distant and self-serving hegemon’.

The motion goes on to say that European countries have been ‘set back’ by the policies of the European Union and that “the policy of military alliance has exacerbated these developments. The EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) has failed to establish an independent European collective security system in the face of the US-led NATO,” the motion says.

The motion seeks to amend the preamble of the Federal Program Commission’s draft motion. The proposal states that the eastward expansion of the EU and NATO has given the US ‘even deeper influence over the European order’. The seven believe that European countries are being drawn into conflicts that are not their own and are diametrically opposed to their ‘natural interests’, such as ‘fruitful trade relations in the Eurasian region’.

But Martin Vincentz, the leader of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, does not want the motion to be perceived as a position against NATO. “As one of the signatories, I don’t see the motion as an exit from NATO, but as a strengthening of European defense policy in the interest of NATO,” Vincentz told WELT AM SONNTAG.

It is hard to say that there is a clear consensus within the party on relations with the US and NATO. For example, a joint motion by Kurt Kleinschmidt, president of Schleswig-Holstein, and state parliamentarians from North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin states that ‘excellent political relations require that American foreign and security policy strategies do not contradict German and European strategies’.

The group also wants to include in the European election manifesto a sentence from the basic program adopted in 2016: “NATO membership is in Germany’s foreign and security policy interests insofar as NATO limits itself to its task as a defense alliance.”

Another motion for an amendment on NATO was submitted by some state parliamentarians from Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. “In view of the emerging and possibly unstoppable bloc formation between the two rivals, the United States and China, we believe that it is best for Germany to remain in the current alliance and use all possibilities to prioritize its own national interests,” the motion reads.

This includes expanding NATO’s European footprint and thus Germany’s own economic, cultural and military capabilities “in order to have a stronger influence in the world and to avoid having to obey Washington’s every whim,” according to the motion. According to the AfD, “then there would also be no need for a permanent deployment of US troops in Europe.”

The AfD’s 2017 party program ‘Manifesto for Germany’ also states that “NATO membership is in Germany’s interests in terms of foreign and security policy as long as NATO’s role remains as a defense alliance. We are in favor of a significant strengthening of the European pillar of the North Atlantic Alliance.” However, the AfD favors the withdrawal of allied troops and nuclear weapons deployed on German soil.

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European Investment Bank to lend to defence projects

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6 days ago

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09/05/2024

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The EU’s lending arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), announced on Wednesday (8 May) that it was changing its long-standing policy of not investing in military products by lifting restrictions on dual-use investments.

In a statement, the EIB’s board of directors said it had approved “the updated definition of dual-use goods and infrastructure eligible for financing by the EIB Group”, removing the minimum threshold of expected revenues from civilian applications or the share of civilian users in a defence-related investment.

Previously, the dual-use lending criteria limited the Bank’s investment in defence-related projects to civilian applications that denied their military use.

EU finance ministers, who act as the EIB’s directors, agreed to “facilitate financing” by paving the way for “private intermediary financing” for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) active in security and defence.

They also added projects and infrastructure used by the military or police that also serve civilian needs to the bank’s list of “appropriate targeted investments”.

The move will expand the bank’s ability to invest in products and technologies used only by the armed forces, including cybersecurity, radar, satellite technology, infrastructure and equipment, as long as they “do not pose a lethal risk”.

“The changes are expected to accelerate investment and improve access to EIB Group financing for the European security and defence sector,” the EIB said in a statement.

The EIB had already committed EUR 6 billion under the Strategic European Security Initiative (SESI) and the European Investment Fund’s (EIF) Defence Capital Facility.

While the European defence industry and defence ministries have long been asking the EIB to increase its contribution to the EU’s growing defence effort, this request was only put on the table of finance ministers in February, and EIB President Nadia Calviño launched a two-month consultation process with the European Commission.

According to several sources with knowledge of the negotiations, one of the key conditions for the EIB to move beyond its traditional lending mandate is its ability to maintain its environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings as well as its top credit rating.

In particular, the triple-A core credit rating allows the lender to obtain very favourable borrowing conditions on the market. As Euractiv has previously reported, this is a key priority for the bank’s shareholders (i.e. the bloc’s 27 member states), which neither the bank nor national governments want to jeopardise.

Last week, US credit rating giant Moody’s became the first rating agency to confirm that not only the EIB’s ESG score but also its overall credit rating would be put under review if significant changes were made to the dual-use policy.

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Denmark and Sweden agree on joint Baltic defence cooperation

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7 days ago

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08/05/2024

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The Danish and Swedish Defence Ministers, Troels Lund Poulsen and Pål Jonson, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday in which the two countries agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation, including joint procurement of military equipment and cooperation in the Baltic Sea region.

The closer defence cooperation was agreed in a memorandum of understanding during an official visit to Stockholm on Tuesday.

The document states that the cooperation agreement ‘will remain within the framework of NATO, the EU and the Nordic Defence Cooperation, NORDEFCO, and will be supported by regular bilateral consultations’.

Under the agreement, Copenhagen and Stockholm will ‘explore’ the joint procurement of military vehicles used by both armies, such as CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.

Specifically, Denmark and Sweden will coordinate the purchase of equipment whenever possible,’ the Danish Ministry of Defence said in a press release. This cooperation could possibly include the purchase of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IKK), which are used by both Sweden and Denmark,’ the Danish Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

Sweden and Denmark have agreed to donate CV90 vehicles to Ukraine in 2023, while both armies need to replenish their own stocks.

Both Sweden and Denmark have donated Stridsfordon 90 (CV 90) vehicles to Ukraine, and we share the view that continued support for Ukraine is vital,” the Swedish defence minister said.

According to the Danish Defence Minister, this cooperation became even more natural when Sweden joined NATO and both countries pledged to work together for the security of the Baltic region.

For example, Sweden and Denmark will expand air policing cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, based on agreements on access to each other’s airspace and bases for the benefit of NATO allies, including the security of the Danish island of Bornholm and the strategic Swedish island of Gotland.

In addition, as Sweden is currently considering sending a battalion to Latvia, the document proposes that both countries contribute a battalion or battle group to the Canadian-led presence in Ādaži, Latvia, on a rotational basis after the Swedish parliament votes on the issue.

“In this way, Denmark and Sweden will be able to work together on a rotational basis, starting from Denmark’s Camp Valdemar in Ādaži,” the Danish Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

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Pro-Palestine protests spread to European campuses: police attacked in Amsterdam and Berlin

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07/05/2024

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Students across the UK, including in Cambridge and Oxford, have launched protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their fellow students around the world.

Similar to protests in the US, Canada and France, camps have been set up on campuses calling for a boycott of Israel and the withdrawal of investment from the country.

Students have set up camps at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool and Edinburgh.

In a joint statement, the organisers of Oxford Action for Palestine and Cambridge for Palestine said: ‘Over 100 universities around the world have decided to take bold and urgent action on behalf of Palestine. As members of these organisations, we reject our universities’ complicity in Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people and refuse to stand by while Israel legitimises its campaign of mass murder, starvation and displacement.

Protesters in Oxford and Cambridge arrived on Monday morning with supplies, sleeping bags and banners. The banners read ‘No more universities in Gaza’ and ‘Stop the genocide’.

A large banner reading ‘Welcome to the People’s University for Palestine’ was hung outside the camp outside Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

Oxford lecturers support protests

They also demanded that Oxford and Cambridge universities divest from all companies linked to Israeli genocide and occupation, support the rebuilding of Gaza’s education system, end institutional links with Israeli universities, and protect the safety of students and staff involved in pro-Palestinian actions.

Over 170 Oxford faculty and staff signed a letter in support of the camp and its aims.

Set up on King’s Parade in central Cambridge, the camp’s activities included ‘de-escalation’ training for protesters, a rally and a dinner funded by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The Guardian reports that a crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly £6,000 for vital supplies needed to make the camp long lasting, permanent and effective.

Other universities involved so far include University College London, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Warwick, Swansea, Goldsmiths and Bristol in the UK, as well as Sciences Po in France, Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Police disperse camp in Berlin

On Tuesday, German police broke up a protest by hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who had occupied the courtyard of Berlin’s Free University earlier in the day.

The demonstrators had set up around 20 tents and formed a human chain around them.

Police used loudspeakers to call on students to leave the campus.Police were also seen carrying some students away, and there were scuffles between police and demonstrators.

Police used pepper spray against some of the protesters. The school administration said in a statement that the protesters refused to engage in dialogue and that the police were called to evacuate the campus.

125 arrested in Amsterdam

On Tuesday, Dutch police arrested around 125 activists while breaking up a similar pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Amsterdam.

In a statement on social media platform X, Amsterdam police claimed their actions were ‘necessary to maintain order’ after the protests turned violent.

Footage aired by national broadcaster NOS showed police using a mechanical digger to break down barricades and police with batons and shields moving in, beating some protesters and uprooting tents. According to NOS, the protesters had erected barricades made of wooden pallets and bicycles.

Demonstrators had occupied a small island at the university on Monday, calling for a break in academic relations with Israel over the war in Gaza.

Police ended the protest in Amsterdam early Tuesday afternoon by cordoning off the area with metal fences.

A statement from the school said police had ended the demonstration on the Roeterseiland campus on Tuesday evening ‘due to public order and security concerns’.

The war between Israel and Hamas is having a huge impact on students and staff. We share the anger and confusion about the war and understand that there are protests about it. We stress that dialogue on this issue within the university is the only solution,’ the statement said.

Protests also held in Finland and Denmark

In Finland, dozens of protesters from the solidarity group Students for Palestine camped outside the main building of the University of Helsinki and said they would remain there until Finland’s largest academic institution severed academic ties with Israeli universities.

In Denmark, students set up a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Copenhagen, pitching some 45 tents outside the campus of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The university said students were allowed to protest, but urged them to respect campus rules.

The statement argued that the administration ‘cannot and should not express opinions on behalf of university staff and students on political issues, including the ongoing conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories’.

Demonstrations in Bologna, Rome and Naples

In Italy, students at the University of Bologna, one of the oldest universities in the world, set up a tent camp over the weekend to demand an end to the war in Gaza, as Israel prepared for an offensive in Rafah.

Student groups organised similar, largely peaceful protests in Rome and Naples.

More than a dozen tents were set up in a square named after a university student who fought against fascist rule during the Second World War. Some of the tents were decorated with Palestinian flags and banners reading ‘Student Intifada’.

Protest at Macron’s university

Student groups in Paris have called for a rally in solidarity with the Palestinians on Tuesday.

On Friday, French police ‘peacefully’ removed dozens of students who had gathered in support of the Palestinians at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po.

On Tuesday, students from the prestigious institute, whose alumni include French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and President Emmanuel Macron, were seen entering the campus freely to take exams as police waited at the entrances.

Protests were also held at several other universities in France last week, including in Lille and Lyon. Macron’s office said police had been asked to remove students from 23 areas on French campuses.

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