On new allegations of Russian interference in the European Parliament, in the upcoming EU elections and the impact on the Union
B-9-2024-0263
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group · Rapporteur: Viola von CramonTaubadel, Bronis Ropė, Alexandra Geese, Francisco Guerreiro, Henrike Hahn
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Parliament expresses concern about Russian efforts to influence the upcoming European elections and condemns attempts to undermine democracy and support for Ukraine.¶¶ It calls for investigations into MEPs involved, harsher measures against those participating in fake election observations, and improved transparency and sanctions.¶¶¶ It urges the Council to advance anti-corruption legislation and the Commission to improve the Defence of Democracy package.¶¶ It calls for protecting election infrastructure, banning entities linked to Russia from the Transparency Register, and supporting investigative journalism.¶¶¶
Key points
- Expresses utmost concern about Russia's efforts to influence the next European elections by recruiting and financing MEPs as agents of influence.¶
- Strongly condemns Russia's efforts to undermine European democracy and weaken support for Ukraine, and points to Putin's long-term goals.¶
- Calls on Member States to develop sanctions against Russia and introduce a regime against foreign information manipulation.¶
- Calls for harsher punitive measures against MEPs participating in fake election observations.¶
- Calls for a thorough internal investigation into Russian interference and referral of MEPs to the Advisory Committee.¶
- Calls for investigations into criminal liability of MEPs and strengthened judicial cooperation with international partners.¶
- Calls on the Council to make progress on the directive on combating corruption.¶
- Stresses the need to respect due process and protect freedom of political opinion.¶
- Calls for high standards of transparency in political funding and clear rules on conflicts of interest.¶
- Welcomes the anti-money laundering package and the interinstitutional ethics body, but demands stronger powers for the latter.¶¶
- Calls on Member States to protect election infrastructure and on the Transparency Register to ban entities linked to Russia.¶¶
- Calls for improved Defence of Democracy package and support for investigative journalism.¶¶
Who is affected
- Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) suspected of links with Russia face investigation and potential sanctions.¶¶
- Political groups in the European Parliament are reminded to monitor their members' actions.¶
- Entities with relations to the Russian government may be banned from the EU Transparency Register.¶
- Member States and EU institutions are urged to implement resilience strategies for elections.¶
Figures and deadlines
- European elections of 6 to 9 June 2024¶