Investigations suggest that the European People’s Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament cooperated more closely with right-wing parties, including Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), on a proposal to tighten EU migration rules.
Research by the dpa news agency revealed that EPP members communicated via a WhatsApp group and a face-to-face meeting of MEPs with right-wing groups to advance the legislative project, which had been stalled for months.
The bill, approved shortly after the meeting, aims to enable the deportation of asylum seekers to so-called “return hubs” outside the EU. EPP MEPs coordinated with members of the conservative ECR group, the Italy-based Patriots for Europe (PfE), the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group, and AfD MEPs such as Mary Khan, who proposed additional safeguards to verify the age of asylum seekers.
A March 4 in-person meeting between EPP, AfD, PfE, and ECR MEPs finalized the draft legislation. Following the discussions, participants expressed gratitude in the chat group, which included EPP staff.
Manfred Weber, EPP group chairman, previously emphasized a “firewall” against far-right cooperation in the European Parliament. Speaking to Bild, he acknowledged the chat logs but dismissed the AfD’s role as politically significant, noting that he sets strategy as group leader but does not control staff chats.
The proposed regulation would allow rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries to be held in facilities outside the EU. German Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has promoted the plan to ease the burden on EU asylum systems. Critics warn that the proposal could violate fundamental refugee rights.
