Brussels ( Brussels Morning) – Renew Europe demands an immediate, transparent investigation into the alleged Russian influence operation within the European Parliament, emphasizing accountability and democracy protection.
The President of Renew Europe, Valérie Hayer, wrote to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, urging for the launch of an instantaneous and transparent investigation, in collaboration with national authorities, to discover the scale of the influence operation executed by Russia within the European Parliament and allegations of potential corruption.
Disciplinary measures must be swiftly carried out against any MEPs or candidates concerned. She stressed that this is a clear attack on the European way of life, the EU parliament and its democratic mandate by a foreign power.
Renew Europe has also tabled a proposal for an urgent discussion in the European Parliament, accompanied by the adoption of a resolution, to examine “Allegations of Russian interference in the work of the EU Parliament and foreign interference in the EU elections”, in the sight of the European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, VÄra JourovĂĄ and the Council.
Talking on the way back from Kyiv, after examining the ongoing threat of Russian disinformation around the EU elections with President Zelenskyy, President of Renew Europe, Valérie Hayer stated:
âI am deeply concerned about the current revelations of a Russian spy network causing massive harm to the EU, especially in the context of the forthcoming European elections. While we congratulate the management who uncovered the operation, a full and evident internal investigation by the President of the European Parliament is now required. If sitting MEPs or candidates in the forthcoming European elections have accepted money from the Russian government or their proxies, they must be revealed and action taken. European voters must know if their MEPs or candidates in the upcoming elections are operating with the support of Russia or its proxies. Democracy in Europe must be protected from external threats at all costs.â
Moreover, Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the European Parliamentâs Subcommittee on Security and Defence, stated: âThis information comes as a surprise if not a shock to many of us, who have repeatedly extended the alert on Russian interferences in our Parliament. The very presence of such corruption efforts and even more so the promise of Prime Minister De Croo in front of the Belgian national parliament that some of these measures were successful seriously hurts the reputation of our institution.â
The European Parliament cautioned in February that Russia was endeavouring to âsow divisionsâ across Europe. âMEPs are incensed that Russia⊠has found methods to provide a significant grant to political parties, politicians, officials and activities in several democratic countries to interfere and gain leverage in their democratic processes.â
While Russia has targeted previous EU elections, concerns about interference around the 2024 vote are especially acute. Russia will utilise the âEuropean elections as a sort of testing ground to see how their techniques and tactics will perform out in elections in general,â states Anton Shekhovtsov, a Vienna-based Ukrainian political scientist.
Renew Europe’s call for an immediate and transparent investigation into alleged Russian interference within the European Parliament underscores the critical need for accountability and safeguarding of democratic principles. The demand for disciplinary measures against implicated MEPs or candidates highlights the severity of the situation, emphasizing the importance of upholding the integrity of EU institutions.
As concerns mount over potential foreign influence in the upcoming European elections, proactive measures are essential to protect the democratic process and prevent external manipulation. The EU Parliament must address these allegations decisively to preserve trust and integrity in the democratic framework of the European Union.
