Germany’s AfD plans a looser EU federation focused on markets, borders and security, with a referendum on EU and euro membership if reforms fail

Germany’s AfD is preparing a proposal to reshape the European Union rather than leave it, Politico reported. The program is due to be presented by party co-leader Alice Weidel in the European Parliament and would recast the bloc as a looser “federation of sovereign nations,” focused mainly on the single market, border protection and security.

The proposals include ending direct elections to the European Parliament, restricting the European Commission to administrative tasks and replacing the EU’s top court with an intergovernmental arbitration body.

If the reforms fail, the party wants a referendum on Germany’s future in the EU and the euro. The plan marks a softening of the AfD’s earlier calls for Germany to leave the bloc, as the party looks toward a right-wing majority in Europe by 2029.