BERLIN, Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. billionaire Elon Musk's

support for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is

a "logical and systematic" play for a weak Europe that will not

be able to regulate as strongly, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck

said in his New Year's address.

The calls by Musk are not made out of ignorance, said

Habeck, who is the chancellor candidate for the Greens party in

German national elections due in February.

"It is logical and systematic. Musk is strengthening those

who are weakening Europe. A weak Europe is in the interest of

those for whom regulation is an inappropriate limitation of

their power," added Habeck.

The German government on Monday accused Musk, who owns

social media platform X and is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX,

of trying to influence the upcoming election with a guest

opinion piece for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

Musk, the world's richest person, spent more than $250

million to help Trump get elected and has been tasked by Trump

to prune the federal budget as a special adviser.

Musk endorsed the AfD as Germany's last hope in the piece

that prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest,

praising the anti-establishment, anti-immigrant party's approach

to regulation, taxes and market deregulation.

(Reporting by Miranda Murray, editing by Thomas Seythal)