For decades German politics enforced a strict taboo: no cooperation with the far right. That firewall — the Brandmauer — kept parties from working with the populist AfD at the national level. But in the European Parliament a different dynamic is emerging: is the center-right trying to isolate the far right, or is it increasingly counting on it to form majorities and push through legislation?
The question surged after reports that members of the European People’s Party (EPP), the dominant center‑right bloc in Brussels and Strasbourg, coordinated with far‑right groups ahead of votes on migration measures, including proposals for so‑called “return hubs” outside the EU. Those accounts suggest not only that far‑right MEPs lined up behind the EPP on key amendments but that there was prior contact to shape wording and assemble a winning coalition.
Nicolai von Ondarza of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) sees this as evidence of a structural shift in parliamentary practice. He describes the Parliament moving toward something like a minority‑government model, where the EPP can pick between two majority options: the traditional centre‑left and liberal coalition, or a coalition that reaches into parties on its right. He stresses that a large majority of votes — more than 80% — still pass with the mainstream pro‑European grouping, but the crucial change is that deals with the right are no longer unthinkable. “It is still the exception, but an exception that is occurring more frequently,” he says.
Sophia Russack, a research fellow at CEPS in Brussels, goes further and calls the shift “the new normal.” She points to a contrast in political culture: in Germany, any cooperation with the far right remains scandalous, but in other EU capitals such partnerships provoke less alarm. Russack draws an important distinction between occasional agreement on single votes and active collaboration: while the EPP has maintained that it cannot prevent far‑right parties from voting the same way, von Ondarza and Russack argue there is evidence of deliberate coordination — drafting amendments to win far‑right backing and negotiating in advance to secure majorities.
That distinction changes the political meaning of alliances. The European Parliament lacks the clear government‑opposition divide of many national systems; majorities are constructed file by file. If laws are written with an eye to far‑right approval, or if parties bargain with those groups before votes, the relationship becomes strategic rather than incidental.
In the short term, this flexibility helps the EPP. The 2024 European elections altered the arithmetic in the Parliament, giving the center‑right more room to choose partners on either side. But von Ondarza warns of costs. Frequent cooperation with the far right could make Socialists and Liberals less inclined to work with the EPP on issues where their backing remains essential, increasing policy instability. Politically, normalizing the far right as a partner risks empowering forces that seek to reshape the EU’s character and weaken liberal, pluralist norms.
There is also a tactical danger for conservatives themselves: leaning on far‑right votes for short‑term wins could strengthen a rival that one day challenges or replaces them. Russack highlights how cooperation boosts far‑right legitimacy. While such parties have long had seats, speaking time and media attention in Brussels and Strasbourg, their growing ability to influence outcomes is what’s new. Migration policy illustrates the shift: language and proposals once considered out of bounds have been taken up by the center‑right, and if the far right becomes a reliable partner it gains leverage over agendas and the limits of acceptable debate across many dossiers.
Both experts caution that, for now, the trend is limited: most legislation continues to flow from the mainstream pro‑European majority. Yet the increasing readiness to craft laws with far‑right support in mind, or to negotiate with those parties beforehand, marks a notable change in how alliances are formed. Whether this evolves into a lasting realignment or remains a tactical phase with unintended consequences will shape the future balance of power and the political character of the EU.