Sunday

1st Oct 2023

New anti-euro party forms in Germany

  • Back to the Deutsche Mark - one third of Germans would like that (Photo: robert.linden)

A new party in favour of returning to the Deutsche Mark is taking shape in Germany, hoping to attract voters disillusioned by the political establishment.

Unlike other European countries, Germany's firm pro-EU and pro-euro stance is deeply anchored in the public psyche, with eurosceptic rhetoric taking place only on the fringes of the political spectrum.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

But the new "Alternative for Germany" party is hoping to capitalise on a growing resentment about the euro-crisis and what Germans perceive as costly bailouts for profligate southern countries. Backed by Hans-Olaf Henkel, a prominent eurosceptic and former head of the German Industry Federation (BDI), the new party is expected to have its official launch on 14 April in Berlin.

"I'm trying to save Europe. There is a schism in Europe, a divergence not convergence," Bernd Lucke, one of the leaders of the new party said Monday (11 March) at their first public event, which gathered around 1,200 people in Oberursal, a small town north of Frankfurt.

Lucke, a macro-economics professor from Hamburg, has been a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union for 33 years until 2011, when he left the party over the eurozone bailouts.

He first joined the Free Voters' movement, pooling around the grandson of former Christian Democrat Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who also left the CDU in rebellion over the way Merkel is handling the euro-crisis.

But, favouring a more radical stance on the euro, he later started the 'Alternative for Germany' party.

The Free Voters, for their part, say they do not feel threatened by the new party.

"The more forces join in on this topic, the more exciting will the discussion be," Free Voters leader Hubert Aiwanger told the Stuttgarter Zeitung.

Unlike the "Alternative for Germany", the Free Voters do not advocate for abolishing the euro. They want to expel troubled southern countries temporarily from the euro, until they "recover", Aiwanger explained. The party was founded in 2009 but has so far only made it into the Bavarian regional parliament.

A survey published Monday by TNS-Emnid showed that 26 percent of Germans would consider backing a party that campaigns for getting rid of the euro. A separate poll, published by GkK on 15 February, showed that 65 percent of Germans want to keep the euro, while 35 percent said they would prefer to return to the Deutsche Mark.

New parties have had a tough time entering the German political landscape. The single-issue party advocating Internet freedom - the Pirate Party - was surprisingly successful in 2011 when it got elected into four regional parliaments.

But with its leadership in disarray and voters preferring the more established Greens or radical left Linke, the Pirates are not expected to enter the Bundestag in the 22 September elections. Neither are the two anti-euro parties.

Interview

Adenauer grandson challenges Merkel on euro-policy

Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union is gathering this week in Hannover for a party congress, but the descendent of CDU founder Konrad Adenauer will not be among them.

Anti-euro party officially launched in Germany

A new party calling for the dissolution of the eurozone held its founding congress in Berlin on Sunday, hoping to capitalise on disillusioned voters in the September elections.

Opinion

Why austerity is failing in Europe

Until recently, Brussels has supported primarily front-load austerity measures. When President Hoover tried similar policies in the 1930s America, a severe recession morphed into a devastating Great Depression.

Opinion

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Column

Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

International media must make clear that these are not fair, democratic elections. The flawed race should be the story at least as much as the race itself.

Latest News

  1. EU women promised new dawn under anti-violence pact
  2. Three steps EU can take to halt Azerbaijan's mafia-style bullying
  3. Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war
  4. Added-value for Russia diamond ban, as G7 and EU prepare sanctions
  5. EU states to agree on asylum crisis bill, say EU officials
  6. Poland's culture of fear after three years of abortion 'ban'
  7. Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling
  8. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us