EU panel to decide fate of pan-European party linked to AfD
A six-member EU committee will rule within two months on whether to ban the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) party, which includes Germany's AfD.
Since July, the EU has been examining the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) party, a pan-European grouping to which the AfD belongs, for possible violation of Union fundamental values. A newly appointed six-person committee, tasked with a two-month deadline, will determine whether the party should be banned - a first for the EU. While the ESN’s parliamentary faction could remain, EU funding of about two million euros for one outlet year would cease.
The panel’s members range from Polish scholar Anna Pacześniak, linked to a progressive foundation, to German jurist Pia Lange and more conservative figures such as Luca Pietro Vanoni and Linas Kontrimas, prompting scrutiny over political bias. Long-time EU officials Alexander Italianer and Martine Reicherts complete the roster without known partisan statements. AfD leader Alexander Sell has criticized the panel’s composition as politically motivated and called for similar scrutiny of the European Greens.
