EU Parliament votes to investigate far-right party group

The European Parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of launching an investigation into the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), a far-right populist group within the parliament, over alleged violations of “core EU values.”

The EU political group, which includes Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and other nationalist parties across the bloc, could face funding consequences if violations are confirmed.

A total of 414 lawmakers voted in favour of the inquiry, 224 voted against and 18 abstained.

Should the investigating authority determine that breaches have occurred, ESN could be stripped of its status as a European political party and lose access to EU funding.

According to the supervisory authority, this is the first procedure of its kind specifically examining compliance with EU values, such as democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.