European Parliament demands action over Russian interference allegations, worry about election fallout

Political groups in the European Parliament on Friday (29 March) said they will demand swift action over Russian interference allegations and plan to debate the issue, fearing the scandal’s impact on the upcoming June EU elections. 

This comes after a day earlier on Thursday (28 March), when an investigation by the Czech authorities uncovered what it said is a pro-Russian influence operation in Europe involving pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and the news Voice of Europe, according to media reports.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on X that his efforts led other countries to kick-start their investigations to uncover pro-Russian espionage networks. 

The investigation shows Moscow “has approached MEPs, but also paid, to promote Russian propaganda here,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Thursday during a debate in the Belgian Parliament. 

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola “is aware of the allegations being made and is looking into specific allegations,” a spokesperson told Euractiv. 

As a consequence, the Parliament’s political groups are now demanding action to shield the institution and its reputation ahead of the EU elections in two months. 

“A full and transparent internal investigation by the President of the European Parliament is now needed,” said Renew Europe Group President, Valérie Hayer.

In a letter to Metsola, Hayer called for a debate and resolution in the next parliamentary plenary session on 10-11 April in Brussels.

The Socialists and Democrats Group (S&D) and the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) will support the call for a debate on Russian interference. 

The proposed title is “Council and Commission statements on Russian interference and suspicions of corruption aiming to endanger the work of the European Parliament, the European elections, and the future of the Union,” said a Socialist source close to the matter. 

Asked by Euractiv whether its services are investigating the matter, the European Parliament’s press service said it “is currently looking into these allegations regarding outlet ‘Voice of Europe’ in coordination with its institutional partners.”

Greens co-lead candidate for the European Elections, Bas Eickhout, wants to go a step further, urging “a swift and thorough European-wide investigation,” he told the press in a press statement. 

“The European elections are in 10 weeks time. We need to be sure none of the candidates for these elections are being paid by the Russians,” he said. 

Both an internal investigation and plenary debate are backed by The Left co-president Martin Schirdewan, who told Euractiv “These revelations demand an immediate and thorough investigation to uphold accountability and public trust in the European Parliament.”

The ECR, and ID groups did not comment by the time of publication.

The EU institutions have been gearing up to shield Europe’s democratic processes from foreign interference, even more so after the Qatargate scandal in 2022, when several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were brought to justice based on an accusation of bribery by Qatar in exchange for favourable influence. 

The European Parliament already adopted a resolution in February flagging concerns over Russia’s interference in the EU‘s democratic processes “through both traditional media outlets and social media.” It called on the European Commission to move swiftly with measures to prevent foreign interference in the bloc. 

In November, institutions agreed on a brand new political advertising rulebook, prohibiting foreign actors from sponsoring ads before an election or referendum.

The Commission is working on a foreign agent registry bill, as part of the Defense of Democracy package, whereby all foreign-funded organisations conducting interest actions would need to sign up for an EU-wide transparency register. 

The European Parliament has suspended access to Parliament and audio-visual facilities for media present on EU sanction lists.

This came in response to Russia creating and spreading false narratives about the war in Ukraine through multiple channels, including through state-owned companies, the  Parliament’s press service also told Euractiv.

They also added, “Note that the situation is monitored and additional restrictions are envisaged when the sanction list evolves.”

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Alexandra Brzozowski/Rajnish Singh]

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