MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Democratic developments in Germany and Austria – E-002056/2024

Question for written answer  E-002056/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Christine Anderson (ESN)

In Germany and Austria, the winners of recent elections – the AfD and the FPÖ – have faced resistance from the defeated parties, who have refused to cooperate with them. These developments, as well as the current motion in the Bundestag to ban the AfD, give rise to questions as to democratic practice and respect for the Union’s fundamental values, in the context of the EU’s responsibility for upholding the democratic standards set out in the Treaty on European Union (TEU).

• 1.What view does the Commission take, given the principle of political diversity and plurality, of the practice of systematically shutting election winners out of political cooperation?
• 2.What view does the Commission take of the motion to ban the AfD currently being discussed in the Bundestag, with regard to the democratic principle of political diversity and freedom of expression, which the EU regards as a fundamental value?
• 3.What criteria must be met for a ban on a party in a Member State to be compliant with the values of the Union and, in particular, the principles of democracy and the rule of law within the meaning of Article 2 TEU?

Submitted: 14.10.2024