The European Parliament has launched a process that could strip Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) EU party, Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), of its status as an officially recognized European political party. The move represents yet another attempt by EU institutions to silence conservative and nationalist voices through administrative measures rather than political debate.
MEPs voted on Tuesday, July 7, to instruct the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) to investigate whether ESN complies with the European Union’s stated values. If the authority ultimately determines that it does not, the party could lose its legal status and the EU funding that accompanies it.
The motion passed by 414 votes to 224, with 18 abstentions. According to parliamentary sources, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and Patriots for Europe opposed the measure, while the remaining political groups supported it.
Following the vote, Socialist MEP Alessandro Zan welcomed the decision, stating: “No EU taxpayer money for those who trample on the fundamental values upon which the Union was founded.” The European People’s Party also defended the investigation, pointing to statements and actions by ESN member parties that it argues are incompatible with EU values.
It was not highlighted how silencing political parties for their views is compatible with EU values, but the ESN was attacked for “Nazi sympathies,” which, according to Brussels, were expressed by actively calling for remigration and blocking the promotion of homosexuality.
ESN strongly rejected the European Parliament’s decision, warning that the procedure threatens political pluralism and freedom of expression within the European Union. In a statement, the party said its members “must remain free to speak openly about the concerns of the people they represent, without the threat of administrative procedures or financial sanctions, simply because their views challenge the political consensus.”
The case is likely to fuel further criticism from those who argue that the European Union increasingly seeks to marginalize conservative and nationalist parties through institutional mechanisms rather than defeating them at the ballot box. Opponents of the investigation contend that using the prospect of withdrawing official recognition and public funding against parties with dissenting views risks narrowing democratic debate and discouraging political positions that challenge the prevailing consensus in Brussels.
