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AfD co-leader Alice Weidel on Ukraine, migration and Germany’s future | The Economist
3/10TL;DR
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel set out a program centered on reversing Germany’s energy transition, tightening migration rules, curbing support for Ukraine, and reshaping the EU into a looser union of sovereign states.
KEY POINTS
Economic overhaul
Weidel described Germany as being in a deep, self-inflicted economic crisis rather than needing minor repairs. She blamed high energy costs, heavy regulation and weak competitiveness for rising bankruptcies and companies relocating abroad. In her view, the country needs a broad restructuring of its economic model.
Attack on energy policy
A central target was the Energiewende, which she said had damaged infrastructure and pushed power prices to world-leading levels. She sharply criticized the shutdown of all German nuclear plants, noting the country once had 19 reactors and now has none. She argued that dependence on wind and solar has left Germany vulnerable to expensive imports when supply is low.
EU reform, not formal exit
Weidel rejected the claim that AfD simply wants Germany to leave the EU or the euro, saying the party’s goal is to reform the bloc into a free-trade area of sovereign states. She attacked the European Commission as overbureaucratic and insufficiently democratic. Still, she pointed to David Cameron’s renegotiation strategy before Brexit as an example of using exit pressure to force change.
Doubts over the euro and debt
Although stopping short of explicitly calling for an immediate euro exit, Weidel said the single currency is not stable and that Germany should return to a more rules-based monetary order. She warned of a future European bond crisis driven by debt in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany itself. She said Germany’s annual interest bill is about €40 billion and could rise to more than €80 billion within three years.
Fiscal cuts over higher spending
Challenged on how tax cuts and pension reform would be financed, Weidel argued the numbers would add up through cuts elsewhere. She singled out social spending for foreigners, development aid and subsidies linked to climate and energy policy. On pensions, she backed a three-pillar system combining redistribution, company pensions and private saving, while denying that public pension costs would rise overall.
Defense and Ukraine
Weidel said Germany should spend more on defense after years below NATO’s 2% target, but argued that spending must focus on national defense rather than aiding Ukraine. She said Germany had already spent more than €100 billion on the war and called continued support dangerous and contrary to German interests. Her position was that the war is effectively lost for Ukraine and that Berlin should push immediately for peace talks.
Russia and sanctions
Rather than presenting Russia primarily as a wider military threat, Weidel framed foreign policy through German national interest. She criticized sanctions and argued Germany should seek cheaper oil and gas, saying Donald Trump was already engaging Vladimir Putin pragmatically. She also said any peace settlement must take Russian security concerns into account alongside Ukrainian ones.
Remigration and asylum
On migration, Weidel defined remigration as strict enforcement of existing law against people without a right to remain, failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals. But she also said that, because the reasons for refuge had ended, 100% of Syrians should return to Syria, and that Afghans and Ukrainians should also leave once conditions allow. She said this could affect 4 million to 5 million people.
Skilled migration and integration
Weidel tried to separate asylum policy from labor migration, saying qualified workers who contribute, obey the law and integrate are welcome. She acknowledged Germany’s demographic pressures and the need for professionals, while arguing that high taxes, insecurity and bureaucracy deter both foreign talent and Germans who are leaving the country. She said the issue is merit and integration, not skin color.
Culture-war politics and party image
Weidel defended a socially conservative line on family and gender policy, arguing the state should stop promoting what she called gender ideology, especially among minors. She insisted AfD is not extremist and denied that neo-Nazi or proto-fascist elements define the party, despite repeated scrutiny of some regional figures and rhetoric. She said accusations of far-right extremism are a smear used to damage a party that now polls above 30% nationally.
The firewall and coalition politics
Weidel said the refusal of other parties to cooperate with AfD is undemocratic and damaging to Germany, while also weakening the mainstream conservative CDU. She predicted the isolation strategy would eventually collapse as voter support rises. But she gave little sign of compromise, arguing that on AfD’s core demands there is no need to yield.
CONCLUSION
Weidel’s agenda combines market-oriented criticism of taxes and regulation with hard-line positions on migration, culture and foreign policy. The central political question is whether rising support for AfD turns that platform into governing influence while the rest of German politics still seeks to keep the party isolated.
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