AfD on Europe

The AfD wants to push back the EU's influence on state politics and restore federal structures. In the platform's view, the EU reaches far beyond the single market into areas the German constitution assigns to the states.

The AfD says the EU decides too much in Baden-Württemberg. It wants the German states to decide more for themselves again. The EU should have less power.

According to the platform, Brussels now dictates a large share of state politics, which it says conflicts with the federal principle in Article 20 of the Basic Law. EU regulations and directives are said to permanently affect state powers. The AfD wants problems not to be handed automatically to a European solution; instead, it should first be checked whether an EU rule is needed. It names competition among states, testing different solutions, and a strong separation of powers as advantages of federalism.

The AfD wants an EU confined to economic cooperation among sovereign states, with decisions kept at the national or regional level where possible. Federal foreign policy should follow German interests rather than moral arguments. In foreign trade, the party favors free trade and wants sanctions reviewed for their economic effects.

The AfD wants less power for the EU. Countries should decide more for themselves. German foreign policy should serve German interests. Trade with other countries should be free. Sanctions should be reviewed. Sanctions are penalties against other states.

The guiding idea is a European community of sovereign states built on economic and shared interests, in which the EU acts only where there is clear joint benefit. Europe and the US remain central partners, while Germany should approach other world regions pragmatically. The state should push for new trade agreements with emerging economies, which in the AfD's view must not be loaded with ideology. Foreign trade promotion programs, such as those of BW International and L-Bank, should be reviewed regularly for effectiveness. Existing sanctions should be evaluated with regard to energy prices and security of supply.