European Parliament begins the procedure which might ban AfD

Written by journalist Danylo Aleksandrov

On Tuesday the European Parliament initiated a verification procedure which targets the Europe of Sovereign Nations party (ESN), which unites a number of far-right politicians, including the German Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The decision was supported by a vote with 414 votes for, 224 against and 18 abstentions. The vote was anonymous but it is reported that several of the right wing parties in the European Parliament such as European Conservatives and Reformists and Patriots for Europe voted against the decision, with the other parties voting for it.

Now the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) will have to investigate if ESN complies with values of the EU. If the investigation proves that it doesn’t comply, ESN’s right to be a political party and funding may be taken from them.

Supporters of the decision point out that behavior and actions of ESN members cannot exist under European values. More specific, a lot of accusations are directed against AfD, members of which are part of the ESN. They are often accused of displaying sympathies towards Nazism and expressing ideas that promote “white” Europe.

In turn ESN issued a statement criticizing the voting result. The party also said that its members should have the right to speak about the concerns of its voters without obstructions such as sanctions which are, in its view, imposed because ESN challenges the political consensus.

Europe of Sovereign Nations was founded in August 2024 by a group of European parties which are often characterized as far-right. It is a separate legal entity from the European Parliament’s ESN political group, which currently consists of 27 MEPs.