The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has proposed an internal policy shift that distances itself from its foundational pledge to immediately exit the euro zone.

 

The AfD’s retreat on exiting the euro shows how it’s eyeing power

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has proposed an internal policy shift that distances itself from its foundational pledge to immediately exit the euro zone. Political analysts and economists note that this "reform first, exit later" strategy is a clear attempt to normalize the party's image and signal its readiness for mainstream governance ahead of its 2029 target to enter the federal government.

The Strategy Shift: From "Dexit" to Reform

A strategy paper drafted by cross-parliamentary AfD lawmakers marks a notable shift from its 2025 federal election platform, which explicitly demanded that Germany leave the euro system. The new approach pivots the party toward renegotiation rather than immediate termination:

• A "Union of Sovereign Nations": Instead of a full exit, the document advocates for fundamentally rewriting EU treaties to stripping Brussels of central powers, refocusing the bloc purely on border control, security, and a shared internal market.
• Euro Currency Overhaul: The party seeks to minimize the European Central Bank's intervention in national economies, pushing for individual state liability regarding sovereign debts rather than an outright replacement of the currency.
• Referendum as a Last Resort: The option to leave the currency or the EU has not been entirely discarded, but it has been moved to the very end of the process; a public referendum would only be triggered if the demanded sweeping reforms fail.

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Eyeing the Chancellery

Political analysts view this shift as a calculated victory for AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, who has eyes on the federal chancellery. Weidel has previously argued that it is practically too late to neatly extract Germany from the euro zone, preferring instead to soften the party's platform to look like a more stable governing option.

Following significant state election surges, toning down radical economic isolationism directly targets voters who want stricter immigration and economic changes but fear the financial chaos that a chaotic "Dexit" would bring to Europe's largest economy. While mainstream parties maintain a "firewall" refusing to cooperate with the AfD, this programmatic pivot is systematically designed to erode that resistance