Untersuchung gegen Parteienfamilie der AfD auf EU-Ebene
Erstmals prüft die EU, ob eine Partei gegen ihre Grundwerte verstößt – im Visier: die rechtsextreme ESN, der auch die AfD angehört.
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An investigation by an oversight authority will assess whether the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) party complies with rules demanding respect for the 27-nation union's core principles.
In a 250-page report submitted to European institutions in May, an EU watchdog listed an array of possible ESN breaches by party members.
These include a video by a Slovak lawmaker describing a Sudanese migrant as a "disgusting, filthy psychopath" and a press release from a Bulgarian party equating homosexuality with paedophilia.
The European Parliament voted for the watchdog to verify the ESN's compliance with fundamental values such as the rule of law and respect for human rights.
This is the first time the EU has launched such an investigation.
The ESN far-right group in the European parliament was set up by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and other smaller far-right parties in Europe.
The procedure would target the ESN party, not its parliamentary group, meaning sanctions would affect funding for party activities such as election campaigns and congresses -- currently totalling almost two million euros ($2.3 million) -- and not parliamentary work.
ESN accused the probe of being politically motivated.
"The proposal argues that the party may not comply with the values of the European Union. We fundamentally reject this approach," the ESN party said.
"Political disagreements belong at the ballot box, not in administrative procedures," it said in a statement.