EXPLAINED: Le Pen vs Weidel; How the Far Right Wants to Reshape the EU | Times Now World

Brussels is facing a challenge from within. France's Marine Le Pen and Germany's Alice Weidel want to rewrite the rules of the European Union, weakening its institutions, rolling back common policies, and handing greater power to national governments. This is not simply another revolt against Brussels. Their plans strike at the way the EU makes decisions, enforces its laws, and represents its citizens. And if these political forces gain power, the consequences could reach far beyond Europe's borders. At the heart of their plans is a dramatic shift in power. Le Pen wants the European Commission reduced to a service for national governments, rather than an institution capable of exercising independent authority. Weidel goes further. The AfD proposes scrapping direct elections to the European Parliament, replacing elected representatives with delegates appointed by national parliaments. Both want national capitals to reclaim control from Brussels. But Weidel's proposal raises an even bigger question. What happens to direct democratic representation at the heart of the European project. Their differences emerge on the economy and energy. Le Pen wants selected taxes harmonized across Europe and a European central bank that gives greater weight to growth and employment. Le Pen rejects transferring fiscal powers to Brussels and insists that the ECB prioritize price stability. On energy, Le Pen backs nuclear power and a carbon border tax. The AfD demands freedom to use coal, gas, nuclear, and renewables without what it sees as Brussels' ideological constraints. They agree on limiting EU authority, but disagree on what national control should look like. The consequences could extend directly to the war in Ukraine. Both leaders oppose continued financial support for Kyiv. Le Pen wants France to stop financing Ukraine and calls for EU sanctions against Russia to be lifted. Weidel wants Germany to end its support for Kyiv and pursue a negotiated settlement. If these positions become government policy in two of Europe's biggest powers, the political pressure on European support for Ukraine could intensify. The question is whether Europe can maintain a common Russia policy if Paris and Berlin move in a different direction. And the AfD's ambitions do not stop at weakening Brussels. Its program proposes national opt-outs across migration, defense, taxation, and social policy if its preferred reforms fail. It also leaves open a possible referendum on German EU membership as a last resort. The party has identified the 2029 European elections as a key opportunity to push its agenda. The European Policy Center warns that weakening the Commission, Parliament and EU courts could hollow out the bloc's ability to enforce common rules. What is at stake is not just a change in policy, but the balance of power holding the Union together. For decades, European integration has rested on countries pooling some of their powers to act collectively. Le Pen and Weidel want to reverse that balance, putting national sovereignty first and limiting the authority of common institutions. But their plans are not yet a blueprint for an inevitable EU collapse. They would face legal, political, and institutional resistance. And the two parties do not agree on every detail. The real test is whether they can turn their programs into government policy, and whether the EU can remain a functioning union if its member states begin challenging the rules that bind them together.