Brussels Watchdog Moves to Strip AfD’s European Party of Funding and Recognition

The Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF), the EU’s independent regulator of pan-European party formations, recommended on Wednesday 27 May 2026 the deregistration of Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) — the far-right grouping closely associated with Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The recommendation, leaked first by Politico Europe and partially confirmed by Brussels officials, could strip the formation of its EU funding entitlement and its right to operate as a recognised European political party.

The APPF’s reasoning

According to the leaked working document, the APPF based its recommendation on a structured assessment of ESN’s compliance with the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union — respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The authority concluded, in line with multiple national-level rulings against AfD chapters in Germany, that several ESN constituent parties have engaged in conduct incompatible with these values. The 2023 reform of the European political party regulation strengthened the APPF’s powers to act on such findings.

What deregistration would mean

Deregistration would have three concrete effects. First, ESN would lose its annual EU operating grant — estimated at around €1.5 million for the 2026 financial year. Second, the party’s affiliated political foundation, whose policy research network includes prominent figures from the German and Italian far right, would also lose its EU funding. Third, deregistration would deprive ESN of its right to use the EU political party label, although individual MEPs retained in the European Parliament would not lose their seats or their group status.

Reaction from the AfD

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel reacted within hours of the leak, calling the APPF recommendation “a politically motivated decision dressed up as a regulatory finding”. In a statement issued through the AfD’s parliamentary group office in Berlin, Weidel announced that the party would challenge any final deregistration decision before the EU’s Court of Justice. ESN MEPs in the European Parliament described the move as “Brussels overreach” and suggested it would only strengthen the political momentum behind sovereigntist forces ahead of upcoming national elections in several member states.

Procedural next steps

The APPF’s recommendation is not yet a final decision. Under the relevant regulation, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission must each be consulted before any formal deregistration. ESN has the right to submit a written defence, and the APPF must then issue a reasoned final decision. The earliest a formal deregistration could take effect is October 2026, and any court challenge would likely delay implementation by an additional 12-18 months. The political signal, however, lands immediately.

Broader European context

The move against ESN comes at a politically charged moment for the far right across the European Union. Recent polling has placed AfD at 20% nationally in Germany — challenging the CDU-led grouping at the top — while in France Rassemblement National continues to lead in voting intention surveys ahead of the 2027 presidential cycle. Italy’s Brothers of Italy, by contrast, operates from inside the ECR group rather than ESN, distancing itself from the more radical formations. The APPF action, if confirmed, will be the first major regulatory pushback against this populist consolidation since the 2024 European elections.

Legal precedent

The deregistration mechanism has been used only once before — against a smaller pan-European formation in 2018 — and was upheld on appeal. Legal analysts consulted by Euractiv on Wednesday noted that the APPF will have to demonstrate a particularly robust evidentiary record to withstand the AfD’s anticipated Court challenge. The 2023 regulatory reform tightened the procedural standards specifically to make such challenges harder to succeed, but the application to a party with 32 MEPs in the European Parliament will inevitably test the new framework.

Implications for German domestic politics

The leak coincides with mounting pressure on Friedrich Merz from within his own CDU, with party figures openly canvassing whether North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Hendrik Wüst could replace the Chancellor in a “reserve” scenario. AfD strategists privately welcomed the APPF move, calculating that any sense of “Brussels persecution” plays well in their domestic narrative. The party’s polling has consistently risen during periods of perceived institutional pressure from EU bodies.

What to watch in June

The European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee is expected to discuss the APPF recommendation at its meeting on 11-12 June. The Council Presidency under Cyprus has signalled it will not block the process. Parliament’s plenary may vote on a non-binding resolution on the matter during the July session. The decisive moment, however, will come if and when ESN exhausts its administrative remedies and the dispute moves to the Court of Justice in Luxembourg, where the case is likely to be decided in the spring of 2027.