BSW on Europe

The BSW wants to hand powers back from the EU to the member states and rejects a European federal state. The EU should confine itself to core tasks that individual countries can hardly handle alone, and should mediate for peace rather than become a party to war.

The BSW wants less power for the EU. Countries should decide more for themselves. The EU should have only a few key tasks. For example, it should fight tax havens. The EU should work for peace.

The party favors close cooperation among European states but not ever deeper integration. It is convinced that democracy, prosperity and social rights are better protected at the national level. As core EU tasks, the platform names fighting tax havens, preventing races to the bottom on taxes and subsidies, and digital independence from US corporations. The BSW regards EU funds for Ukraine and for the arms industry as wasted taxpayer money.

The BSW wants the EU to admit no further countries, Ukraine included. The party justifies this with the costs that Ukrainian membership would mean for German taxpayers.

The BSW wants no new countries in the EU. That goes for Ukraine too. The party says Ukraine joining would cost Germany a lot.

In the platform's view, the EU does not become more important by gaining ever more members. The party believes Ukrainian accession would require permanently high payments from Germany. The stop is meant to apply generally to all candidate countries.