On 2 November 2026, the German Bundestag debated motions from the AfD parliamentary group to the EU budget and referred them for further review to the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union The AfD opposed an increase in the European Union’s next multiannual financial framework and called for spending to remain at its current level.
According to the AfD, new European Union own resources and additional powers for Brussels should be rejected. The group also demands that the of the Federal Government, published on the same day. They show both increased participation in the reject any expansion of joint liability instruments in the ongoing negotiations in Brussels. The Bundestag did not take a substantive decision during the plenary session; referral to the relevant committee marks the start of the regular consultation process, including hearings, submissions and possible amendments.
Other parliamentary groups and the federal government broadly view the European budget talks as part of a multi-stage negotiating process in which security, economic and industrial policy priorities are weighed against one another. Positions in the debate followed familiar lines, contrasting spending discipline, new European initiatives and the distribution of national contributions. The Bundestag will not have a shared position until the committee consultations are complete.
Under the formal procedure, the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union is to bring together and assess the AfD parliamentary group’s motions, then submit a recommendation to the plenary. On that basis, the Bundestag may in due course adopt an opinion under Article 23, paragraph 3 of the Basic Law. The substance will concern the size, financing and priorities of the next multiannual financial framework, including whether new own resources should be introduced or existing instruments adjusted.
This procedural step does not affect the European negotiations themselves, which are continuing in parallel. The federal government remains obliged to keep the German Bundestag informed and take its decisions into account in its negotiating position. Whether, and to what extent, the AfD parliamentary group’s demands are reflected in the further process will depend on the formation of a parliamentary majority and the outcome of talks in EU bodies.
The record of the plenary debate and referral is available in the German Bundestag’s documents. Further consultations in the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union have been announced.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).