Overview
- An investigation reported that European People’s Party members and staff coordinated via WhatsApp and in person with AfD and other right‑wing groups to shape a ‘return hubs’ proposal in the European Parliament.
- The alternative text on outsourcing asylum procedures won a majority in the civil liberties committee with votes from ECR, Patriots for Europe and ESN, while AfD MEP Mary Khan claimed influence and EPP leader Manfred Weber denied any cooperation.
- Germany’s commissioner for the eastern states, Elisabeth Kaiser, urged democratic parties to keep clear distance from the AfD, warning of risks as polls show the party leading in Saxony‑Anhalt and Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern.
- Provisional municipal results point to losses for SPD and Greens and gains for the CDU in parts of Hesse and Frankfurt, adding pressure on coalition partners after a weak start to the super‑election year.
- Policy strains deepened as 2025 emissions fell only 0.1%: Environment Minister Carsten Schneider pressed for stronger climate measures, Union figures warned against new economic burdens, CSU leader Markus Söder rejected tax hikes, and Ursula von der Leyen signaled EU support for a nuclear power revival.