EU Parliament Votes to Review Sovereigntist ESN Party

The European Parliament has voted to request that the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF) verify whether the European political party Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) continues to meet the conditions for registration and EU funding. MEPs approved the request by 414 votes to 224, with 18 abstentions.

The procedure was initiated after the independent Authority informed the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission that it had serious doubts about whether ESN complies with the European Union's fundamental values. Tuesday's vote does not determine the outcome of the case but formally asks the Authority to begin its verification procedure.

The Authority will now examine whether ESN, whose member parties include Slovakia's Republika, Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), continues to respect the values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, including democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

If the Authority ultimately decides to remove ESN from the Register of European Political Parties, that decision will take effect unless either the European Parliament or the Council objects within the prescribed period. Such a decision would affect ESN's legal status as a European political party and its access to EU funding, but it would not dissolve the Europe of Sovereign Nations parliamentary group in the European Parliament, as the two are separate legal entities.

This is the first time the verification mechanism created under the EU's revised rules on European political parties has been activated. The updated regulation, adopted in late 2025 and in force since December 2025, strengthened safeguards on transparency, foreign interference and compliance with the Union's fundamental values.

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