The EU Parliament calls for an investigation into the sovereigntists
The “Europe of Sovereign Nations” party, formed on the initiative of the far-right German party AfD, is now under investigation to ascertain whether it complies with the values of the European Union
The European Parliament has asked the Authority for Political Parties and Foundations (APPF) to verify whether the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) party complies with EU requirements for registration and funding. In other words, with 414 votes in favour, 224 against and 18 abstentions, the European Parliament is calling for an investigation into whether the ESN adheres to the values of the European Union. The ESN party and the parliamentary group – which is a legally and functionally separate entity – were formed after the 2024 European elections, on the initiative of Alternative für Deutschland. Among its ranks is also the leader of Futuro Nazionale, Roberto Vannacci.
Assessment of compliance with European values
The procedure was initiated after the Appf informed the Parliament, the Council and the Commission of circumstances that cast doubt on Esn’s adherence to the Union’s values. The vote does not constitute a stance on the substance of the matter. Any future request to remove the party from the register can only take effect if there are no objections from the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union. ESN’s response was strong: “The EU’s values include democracy, political pluralism and freedom of expression. Elected representatives must remain free to speak openly about the concerns of the people they represent, without the threat of administrative proceedings or financial penalties simply because their views challenge the political consensus’, reads a statement. The Parliament’s approval constitutes a procedural step enabling such a review, and does not represent a stance on the substance of the matter.
2 million a year in EU funding at risk
If the investigation by the Authority for European Political Parties were to conclude that the party has breached the EU’s fundamental values and must therefore be excluded from European Parliament funding, the far-right party could lose around 2 million euros a year. Analysis of the data shows that, for 2025, the ESN party received €1,992,976 and, for 2026, the figure of €2,069,306, out of a total allocation of 46 million euros earmarked for political parties in the European Parliament’s 2026 budget. Until the 2017 financial year, funding was provided in the form of operating grants. From 2018 onwards, funding has been provided in the form of contributions. The funding may cover up to 90 per cent of a party’s eligible expenses, whilst the remainder should be covered by its own resources, such as membership fees and donations.
