German anti-euro party joins British Tories in EU Parliament

(BERLIN) - Germany's fledgling anti-euro AfD party said on Thursday it has teamed up with Britain's Conservatives as part of a eurosceptic group in the new European Parliament.

The Alternative for Germany, which won its debut into the parliament with seven seats in last month's EU election, has been accepted into the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), it said.

The eurosceptic ECR group includes the Tory party of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is spearheading a push for reforms to allow greater autonomy for EU member states.

It also includes Polish and Czech eurosceptics.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose party topped Germany's EU poll, had ruled out working with the AfD, which was formed in early 2013.

Party member Hans-Olaf Henkel said the group's entry into the group showed the AfD had "gained a foothold at the European level as a political force" and warned it would have an impact on upcoming regional German elections.

The party demands Germany's return to the Deutschmark, an end to EU bailouts and the orderly dissolution of the euro.