# Germany news: AfD's Weidel calls for major EU reforms > Alice Weidel demands EU overhaul with sovereignty, subsidiarity and responsibility. - Title: Germany news: AfD's Weidel calls for major EU reforms · Dw - Summary: Alice Weidel demands EU overhaul with sovereignty, subsidiarity and responsibility. Alice Weidel, AfD co-leader, calls for EU reform centered on sovereignty… - Keywords: alice weidel, afd, eu reform, subsidiarity, responsibility, sovereignty, germany, european parliament, schengen, border protection, news, world - Source: Dw — https://dw.com/en/germany-news-afd-s-weidel-calls-for-major-eu-reforms/live-79719483?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf - Read time: 2 min - Topics: alice weidel, afd, eu reform, subsidiarity, responsibility, sovereignty, germany, european parliament, schengen, border protection, news, world ## Weidel pitches EU reform pillars Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, presented her party's proposals for a European Union that she said was 'in severe need of reform' during a visit to the European Parliament in… > We would like to rebuild and reform the European Union ## Three pillars of reform Weidel outlined three core pillars: subsidiarity, responsibility and sovereignty, arguing the EU should be founded on these principles rather than sovereign states. > the first one is subsidiarity the second one is responsibility and the third one is sovereignty ## Subsidiarity principle On subsidiarity, Weidel said power should reside as close to the grassroots level as possible, stating the European Commission should not intrude on private decision-making. > we don't want the state or the european commission that is not elected to intrude and disturb your private life in decision-making ## Sovereign states in EU Weidel claimed the EU is no longer a group of sovereign states, with national parliaments making decisions rather than the European Parliament. > i'm an economist and for me the european union is not a group of sovereign states any more ## Fiscal policy exceptions Weidel noted fiscal policy and the primacy of EU law are exceptions where sovereign member states must agree to them. > the notable exceptions weidel objects to are fiscal policy and the primacy of eu law ## Commission's legislative power Weidel criticized the European Commission for having a 'legislative right of initiative' without being elected, calling it a 'huge disturbance of checks and balances'. > we would like to found the european union on three major principles the first one is subsidiarity the second one is responsibility and the third one is sovereignty ## EU responsibility failures Weidel accused the EU of failing to follow its own rules on sovereign debt and whether the European Central Bank should guarantee it. > weidel accused the eu of failing to follow its own rules for instance on sovereign debt and whether the european central bank should or can guarantee it ## Border protection demands Weidel reiterated her desire for 'sovereign states to protect their borders,' stating if the EU fails to protect external borders, they should have a veto right to opt out. > if the european union is not capable of protecting our borders the outer borders then it is a decision of the sovereign states to protect our national borders ## Schengen zone concerns Weidel warned that if Schengen is over, they need to get out of Schengen and protect their borders, citing the open-border zone within much of the EU. > if schengen is over if schengen doesn't work then we need to get out of schengen and protect our borders ## Border protection mechanism Weidel stated that if the EU fails to protect the bloc's external borders, 'we should have a veto right to opt out of this chaos.' > if the european union is not capable of protecting our borders the outer borders then it is a decision of the sovereign states to protect our national borders ## EU border management The EU maintains a border management agency, Frontex, but national authorities are responsible for external borders of the Schengen zone. > the eu maintains a border management agency frontex national authorities are responsible for the external borders of the schengen zone ## Merz on China trade German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized China for 'unfair practices' in trade, saying he wants EU member states to balance out their trade deficits. > you sound very much like donald trump ## Merz's trade stance Merz said the EU does not want a trade war with China, but the imbalance does not mean 'the beginning of a war' and they are looking for peaceful solutions. > we are looking for peaceful solutions but the level for that is fair trade ## Nvidia AI pitch Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang presented his vision of the upcoming AI revolution and products for the 'second wave' of AI at a Berlin conference. > you have to transfer ai into the real world of production ## Nvidia's modular data centers Nvidia introduced a 'Giga-Factory' design that can be set up in days or weeks anywhere with a suitable power grid. > a new addition to the nvidia universe is a giga factory which is housed in modular shipping containers and can be set up in just a few days or weeks anywhere with a suitable power grid ## AI consumer products Nvidia demonstrated a high-performance laptop with an AI agent that acts as a 'friend and helper' and robot ducks trained by AI. > a high-performance laptop with a built-in ai agent that acts as a friend and helper capable of taking over tasks and programming new agents ## Key takeaway Alice Weidel, AfD co-leader, calls for EU reform centered on sovereignty, subsidiarity and responsibility to protect national borders.