On new allegations of Russian interference in the European Parliament, in the upcoming EU elections and the impact on the Union
B-9-2024-0266
on behalf of the PPE Group · Rapporteur: Michael Gahler, Vladimír Bilčík, Rasa Juknevičienė, Andrius Kubilius, Sandra Kalniete, Andrey Kovatchev, Javier Zarzalejos, David McAllister
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This resolution condemns Russian interference in the European Parliament and upcoming EU elections, detailing cases involving MEPs and political parties, and calls for stronger protective measures.¶¶¶ It proposes a public index of politicians linked to Kremlin hybrid influence, urges the Council to consider such influence in EU accession criteria, and calls for internal Parliament reforms.¶¶¶
Key points
- Expresses outrage at Russia's efforts to recruit MEPs and create networks of influence, calling them the biggest threat to European democracy in decades.¶¶
- Calls on EU and national authorities to intensify efforts to combat foreign interference and ensure integrity of upcoming European elections.¶
- Condemns specific MEPs and parties for serving Russian interests, including those from ID, The Left, and non-attached members, and calls for transparency on financial ties.¶¶¶
- Proposes establishing a publicly accessible Russian hybrid influence index, updated regularly, to catalogue politicians and parties with Kremlin connections.¶
- Calls on the Council to add resilience to Russian hybrid influence to the Copenhagen criteria for EU accession, and to exclude candidates adopting Russia-style laws.¶
- Condemns Russian falsification of history and disinformation campaigns, including on platform X and in Catalonia, and calls for investigations.¶¶¶
- Expresses concern about Russian interference in Bulgarian elections and espionage cases in Germany and Austria, calling for decisive responses.¶¶¶
- Calls for internal Parliament reforms: security clearances for MEPs handling sensitive issues, an early warning system, and denying access to media outlets of hostile regimes.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Members of the European Parliament, especially those from ID, The Left, and non-attached groups, face scrutiny and calls for transparency.¶¶¶
- Political parties like AfD, FPÖ, and Le Pen's party are condemned for past ties with Russia.¶
- EU candidate countries, including Moldova, Georgia, and Western Balkan states, are warned of Russian efforts to undermine their democratic progress.¶
- National authorities in Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and others are urged to inform citizens and investigate interference cases.¶¶