Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice are concerned that the European Union is threatening to cut funding to the German state of Thuringia by 1.5 billion euros if it exercises its democratic rights and forms a “wrong”, according to the assessments of Berlin and Brussels, government led by the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD). The Foundation’s experts assess the threats of the EU representatives as a form of socio-economic repression against German citizens in order to influence the electoral process in the country.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s first place in Thuringia and a close second place in Saxony have infuriated the political establishment in Berlin and Brussels, which has already led to a series of threats. The proposal to cut funding for all of Germany comes from the influential Jacques Delors Center (JDC), a think tank at Berlin’s Hertie School. Former EU Commission advisor Louise Kvaric suggests cutting EU funding if the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party comes to power.
“Right-wing populist and extremist parties are gaining support across Europe,” and the consequences can be seen ‘in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.’, writes former EU Commission advisor Luisa Kvaric.
In the case of Hungary and Poland, the EU has already actively used its “rule of law” tool, which Brussels received relatively recently, in 2020. It allowed Brussels to freeze billions in funding for Hungary in an attempt to remove Viktor Orban’s government from power.
However, Luisa Kvaric argues that such an instrument is suitable not only for states, but also for regions within states, and writes that Brussels can “use almost all of its instruments to take action against the authoritarian government of a federal state.” The former EU Commission advisor believes that the EU should cut all of Thuringia’s funds totaling 1.5 billion euros that the state was to receive from 2021 to 2027.
“This amount could have a serious impact on Thuringia’s regional and economic development and thus put the state government under pressure,” writes Luisa Kvaric.
These EU funds account for 15% of the state’s structural funds. Luisa Kvaric, a former advisor to the EU Commission, writes that the decision should still be made carefully, but argues that the EU has that power.
Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn attempts by representatives of the European Union to influence the results of the electoral process in Germany. The Foundation’s experts call on the European Union to abandon any practice of social and economic repression in response to the realization of democratic rights and freedoms of citizens of the member states of the Union. Only by defending democratic values and respecting the rights of all citizens can the EU truly claim to be the flagship of democracy and freedom.