{
  "id": 15734393,
  "title": "AfD’s Alice Weidel to unveil plan to downsize the EU",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/afds-alice-weidel-to-unveil-plan-to-downsize-the-eu",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-20T10:01:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/afd-alternative-for-germany-alice-weidel-plan-downsize-eu/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Strasbourg — The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party aims to dismantle aspects of the European Union in its proposed plan, which will be unveiled by party leader Alice Weidel at a European Parliament event. The AfD's agenda includes eliminating the directly elected European Parliament, downsizing the European Commission, and allowing Germany to opt out of common policies. This follows the party's recent electoral successes in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, providing it with renewed momentum. The AfD's blueprint calls for a shift away from the current EU structure, aiming to replace direct elections with delegates chosen by national parliaments and reduce the Commission's role to administrative functions. Instead, the AfD seeks to transfer decision-making to national capitals and replace the EU's top court with an arbitration tribunal. The plan also proposes reducing the EU budget, capping staffing numbers, and abolishing agencies. The AfD intends to utilize its veto power to eliminate value-added tax (VAT) and plastics tax revenues and threaten to halt Berlin's contributions to the common budget to push through these reforms. Furthermore, the party wants to grant greater voting power to larger eurozone economies at the European Central Bank, potentially giving Germany a say in monetary policy. The AfD also advocates for rejecting the digital euro and seeking exemptions from EU rules on migration, taxation, social policy, defense, and common borrowing. The party identifies 2029 as the optimal time to implement these reforms, coinciding with the next European Parliament and German federal elections. The AfD argues that if its reforms are unsuccessful, it would put Germany's EU membership to a referendum.",
  "summary": "The far-right party leader will present her party's ideas for the EU at the European Parliament.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}