Overview
- Invitations were sent before Christmas to lawmakers from all Bundestag parties, prioritizing foreign and security committee members for the Feb. 13–15, 2026 meeting, with the process still ongoing.
- AfD parliamentary leader Alice Weidel has not been invited so far, while defense MPs Rüdiger Lucassen and Heinrich Koch are reportedly among those asked to attend.
- The MSC plans no appearances by AfD politicians on its stages, limiting participation to fachpolitiker rather than party leaders or speakers.
- Backlash in Germany intensified as CSU’s Alexander Hoffmann, FDP’s Marie-Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, and Thuringia’s intelligence chief Stephan Kramer warned of security and normalization risks, referencing alleged Russia and China links and the BfV’s extremist assessment.
- The reversal ends a two‑year exclusion imposed by former chair Christoph Heusgen and follows transatlantic tensions after US Vice President J.D. Vance condemned the previous ban and met Alice Weidel outside the 2025 conference.