Jens Spahn, chairman of the Union faction in the European Parliament, called for consequences after reports surfaced that members of the European People’s Party (EPP) – the family that also includes the CDU and CSU – had joined a chat group with right‑wing parties, allegedly including the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Spahn appeared on the ntv programme “Blöme & Pfeffer” on Monday and admitted that an EPP staffer from Spain was part of the group. He said the incident “must have consequences” and offered to discuss possible outcomes, especially regarding what will happen next.
Spahn denied any collaboration with the AfD. “What the AfD wants, does or acts in Brussels is irrelevant and unimportant” he said. “A chat group alone does not constitute collaboration”. He emphasized that the key issue is the lack of agreement in Brussels between the EPP and the parliamentary groups of the SPD and the Greens. If a majority in the Parliament is achieved without involving the radical right, Spahn says that is simply a normal vote.
Gordon Schnieder, the CDU’s top candidate for the Rhineland‑Palatinate state election, demanded that the EPP group in the European Parliament draw formal consequences from the chats with the AfD. “The events must be fully investigated, and there must be consequences” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Schnieder added that the CDU/CSU members and their staff are not implicated in the matter. He made it clear that there is no cooperation with the AfD in the state CDU; anyone participating in such chat groups or seeking alignment with the AfD would be expelled from the party.
The background is a recent investigation that found the EPP faction, which includes German Union MPs, had worked – through the chat group and a personal meeting – on a draft law to tighten migration policy with the right‑wing wing of the European Parliament.