NextFin News - The "cordon sanitaire" that once isolated Europe’s far-right from the levers of legislative power has effectively collapsed. Leaked internal communications and WhatsApp logs, first reported by Deutsche Presse-Agentur and confirmed by sources in Brussels on March 15, 2026, reveal that the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) engaged in structured, direct negotiations with right-wing and far-right factions to pass a controversial new migration mandate. The deal, which centers on the creation of "return hubs" in third countries for asylum seekers, marks the first time the EPP has bypassed its traditional centrist allies—the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Liberals (Renew Europe)—to build a majority with the hard right.
The shift crystallized during a pivotal vote in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) earlier this month. After months of deadlock within the informal "Grand Coalition," EPP negotiators reportedly established a dedicated WhatsApp group to coordinate with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the Patriots for Europe (PfE), and the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), which includes the Alternative for Germany (AfD). This digital war room allowed for the rapid exchange of amendments, including specific provisions proposed by AfD MEP Mary Khan regarding medical age-testing for minors—a demand the EPP reportedly accepted with a "we can support this" confirmation in the chat.
The resulting legislative text, led by EPP rapporteur François-Xavier Bellamy, passed with 41 votes in favor and 32 against. It paves the way for a radical overhaul of the 2008 Returns Directive, authorizing the deportation of individuals without a legal right to stay to detention centers outside EU borders. While EPP Chairman Manfred Weber has publicly downplayed the cooperation, claiming the AfD is "irrelevant" to the final numbers, the procedural reality suggests otherwise. The EPP did not merely benefit from far-right votes; it actively integrated their policy preferences to secure a majority that the centrist S&D had refused to provide.
This tactical pivot has sent shockwaves through Berlin and Brussels. In Germany, the revelation is particularly toxic for CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who has repeatedly pledged that no cooperation with the AfD would occur under his watch. Green MEP Erik Marquardt characterized the leaked chats as proof of a "lie," arguing that the EPP has traded its democratic compass for a hardline migration victory. The fallout threatens to destabilize the fragile governing consensus in the European Parliament, where the EPP has traditionally acted as the anchor of the pro-European center.
The strategic calculation behind the EPP’s move appears to be a response to the shifting political gravity in member states like Italy, France, and the Netherlands. By adopting the "return hub" model—a concept championed by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and several other EU governments—the EPP is attempting to co-opt the far-right’s signature issue before the next wave of national elections. However, the cost of this victory is the formalization of a "Right-Wing Majority" (RWM) that could now dictate terms on climate policy, trade, and judicial standards.
For the far-right, the WhatsApp negotiations represent a graduation from protest to policy-making. Figures like Marieke Ehlers of Geert Wilders’ PVV have made it clear they will no longer simply "sign on the dotted line" but expect active participation in drafting. As the migration mandate moves toward a full plenary vote, the EPP finds itself in a precarious position: it has successfully moved the needle on border enforcement, but in doing so, it has dismantled the very firewall it once claimed was essential to protecting the European project from radicalization.
Explore more exclusive insights at nextfin.ai.
