German state could face EU fund freeze after AfD win – media

Saxony-Anhalt currently receives more EU regional money per capita than any other German state, according to ARD The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt could face an EU funding freeze after the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored a landslide victory in regional elections last week, German broadcaster ARD has reported.

The party, which won 43.8% of the vote, has long challenged Berlin and Brussels on migration.

The EU previously resorted to funding freezes in its disputes with dissenting governments, including those in Hungary and Poland.

Saxony-Anhalt is set to receive €2.95 billion ($3.43 billion) from the EU’s 2021-2027 budget, to fund projects ranging from school and daycare renovations to modern medical equipment for hospitals.

According to ARD, it gets more EU regional funding per capita than any other German state.

According to Green MEP Daniel Freund, the scheme could soon be suspended if the AfD forms a regional government and upsets Brussels in any way.

The lawmaker described the right-wing party as a political group that acts against “the European project,” adding that “if necessary, the European Commission would have to withhold funds.” Read more Merz faces German election debacle in Saxony-Anhalt – here’s what you need to know Freund, who had previously actively supported similar measures against Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, described the move as a good way to rein in dissenting national governments, particularly in Hungary and Poland.

“We saw in both countries that after the freezing of EU funds, there were changes of government, and that the new governments had a significantly better relationship with the European institutions,” he told ARD.

Now, the same approach could potentially be applied in Saxony-Anhalt, he added.

Brussels froze assistance funds for Warsaw and Budapest on several occasions over the past years, accusing both nations of rule of law violations.

Hungary and Poland described the moves as political persecution linked to their opposition to the EU policies.

In Hungary’s case, funds were frozen in 2022 when the European Commission accused Orban – a long-time critic of EU migration policies and Ukraine aid – and his government of corruption and rule-of-law violations.

The money was only partially released this year after Orban lost an election to his rival Peter Magyar and his Tisza Party.

Saxony-Anhalt could lose up to €500 million a year as part of a similar scenario, according to Luise Quaritsch from the Jacques Delors Centre think tank branch in Berlin.