EU Parliament votes to investigate far-right party group

The European Parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of launching an investigation into the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), a far-right populist group within the parliament, over alleged violations of "core EU values."

The EU political group, which includes Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and other nationalist parties across the bloc, could be stripped of its status as a European political party and lose access to EU funding if the allegations are confirmed.

A total of 414 lawmakers voted in favour of the inquiry, 224 voted against and 18 abstained. 

According to the supervisory authority, this is the first procedure of its kind specifically examining compliance with EU values, such as democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The ESN was co-founded by the AfD in 2024 and is headquartered in Berlin. Its members also include the French party Reconquest led by far-right politician Éric Zemmour, Poland's New Hope party and Bulgaria's pro-Russian party Revival.

According to the European Parliament, the ESN has been allocated up to around €2 million in EU funding for 2026.

At the end of May, the supervisory authority notified the EU institutions that it had received information which, in its view, raises doubts about the ESN's compliance with the EU's core values.

It referred to a series of social media posts by politicians from ESN member parties targeting specific groups of people. 

It stressed, however, that the notification does not yet constitute the outcome of an investigation.

Under EU law, European political parties must ensure that both they and their member parties respect the values on which the European Union is founded in their programmes and activities.

At the end of June, the ESN adopted a declaration in Berlin reaffirming its commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law, according to a joint statement by ESN member parties.

The review process will now move through several stages, including the ESN’s response, an assessment by an independent expert committee and a final decision by the supervisory authority, which can be appealed.