The EU election
Alarms about Trojan horses in parliament: "Can be dangerous"
Wolfgang Hansson
Published 15.28
TALLINN, ESTONIA. Is the EU Parliament about to turn into a spy center and influence operation for Russia and China?
Given the recent revelations, the question is highly justified.
But it's worse than that.
- There are at least a hundred parliamentarians in Brussels who run Russia's affairs and almost no one talks about it, says Urmas Paet, Estonian EU parliamentarian.
Quick version
He has his office on the second floor of an unusually unattractive white building on the outskirts of central Tallinn. The Reform Party, Estonia's largest party, has its headquarters there.
A young man shows us into a conference room with rare colorful art on the walls. Urmas Paet appears immediately, conservatively dressed in a white shirt and blue suit.
The face is familiar. I have just seen it on several large election posters around Tallinn.
He has spent the past weekend campaigning at various spring markets in Estonia.
- A good way to meet the voters, he notes with satisfaction.
Trojan horses
Normally, the rather low-key, former foreign minister sits in Brussels as the party's member of the EU Parliament with a focus on foreign affairs.
He remembers what life was like a few years ago when it was revealed that a member of parliament had received money from Qatar to try to influence votes in the EU. A major scandal that is still under investigation. Paet agrees that it was a serious incident.
But then he lifts his head and his gaze becomes sharp.
- There are much worse things going on in front of our eyes year after year without anyone seeming to care, he thunders. I think of the hundred or so parliamentarians who constantly vote in a way that favors Russia's interests. Among other things, they vote against Russian sanctions and against arms aid to Ukraine.
In practice, he sees them as Russia's Trojan horses in the middle of Europe's decision-making centers while a war in which Europe's freedom is at stake is being fought.
- Mainly it is about the German far-right party AfD, where over half of the members represent Russia's interests. French National Assembly with Marine Le Pen is another party where many of the members push a Russian agenda. Of course, Hungarian Fidez belongs to the same group.
But Russian friendliness is also found on the left, with parties such as Syriza in Greece.
- It seems that the old communist parties still believe that Russia is pursuing the same ideology as in the time of the Soviet Union. The old loyalties remain.
Concrete influence
He resents the fact that many of the extreme parties participated as so-called election observers in Russian elections organized in Ukraine and in breakaway republics in Georgia.
- It shows whose side they are on.
Paet believes that Russia focuses its influence operations primarily on the large countries that have many delegates in parliament.
Although the pro-Russian parliamentarians are far from a majority, according to Paet, they have a concrete influence on many decisions. He takes the peasant protests in Europe as an example.
There, Russia spread misinformation that it was cheap grain from Ukraine that made it harder for Europe's farmers to sell their produce.
- Completely incorrect information, Paet asserts. Agricultural imports from Ukraine to the EU are very small.
But when the agreement to allow Ukraine to export agricultural products duty-free to Europe expired, the pro-Russian delegates together with peasant interests tried to stop the agreement.
- In the end, there was still an extension of the agreement, but on worse terms for Ukraine.
The 2024 EU elections: May become more pro-Russian
Paet claps his hands in regret.
- At the same time, no one objects to the EU continuing to import large quantities of grain from Russia. There are no sanctions whatsoever against Russian agricultural products. Only recently has the EU imposed a certain tariff on Russian products. There are still at least ten countries that import from Russia.
Paet smiles a helpless smile.
- The EU gives Ukraine 50 billion euros in financial support - while we deny them the opportunity to earn their own money. A very strange order.
When Paet talks to the pro-Russian parliamentary colleagues, he gets different answers about why they attend to Russia's affairs.
- Some claim that the arms aid from the West only prolongs the war. Others claim that it was Ukraine that provoked the war by wanting to become a member of the EU and NATO. It is very much "copy paste" of what the Kremlin says.
He fears that the new EU Parliament elected on June 9 will be filled with another number of pro-Russian members. Opinion polls show that the French National Assembly is becoming Europe's largest party. In nine countries, right-wing populist parties are expected to win the election. In nine to become second largest or third party.
- They will not be able to get a majority for their proposals. But they will get more speaking time in parliament. Their voice becomes louder. Their influence is increasing.
No security checks
Today, the EU Parliament is governed by three large party groups; social democrats, conservatives and liberals. Many of the decisions are made through compromises between these parties. After the election, a situation may arise where the three no longer have their own majority together.
- Then you might have to bring in a fourth party group to become decisive, says Paet. The most likely is the ECR, which includes the Brothers of Italy, the Sweden Democrats and the True Finns. Then it will be more difficult to maintain the front against the pro-Russians.
Paet is not only worried about the parliamentarians who represent Russian interests. There is also a large staff of assistants and others in the EU Parliament that no one has any control over.
- There are no security checks at all of the people the parliamentarians hire, complains Paet. There should be cooperation between the national security services and the security organization in Brussels so that you can warn if people with the wrong background are about to be employed. The security work should work in the same way as in the national parliaments.
"Dark Speech"
His statement comes against the backdrop of the recent arrest of German AfD parliamentarian Maximilian Krah's assistant on suspicion of spying for China and possibly Russia.
- I think there is a large amount of darkness here.
Urmas Paet would like to see a proper investigation into how Russia and China are trying to infiltrate the EU Parliament.
- I am very surprised and concerned that it was not done much earlier.
He takes Latvian EU parliamentarian Tatjana Zdanoka as an example. It was recently revealed that she was on the payroll of the Russian security service FSB. She has now voluntarily decided not to run for re-election.
- How many more like her are there who are paid by Russia? She is clearly not alone.
Recently, another scandal was revealed where a number of EU parliamentarians allowed themselves to be bribed to appear in interviews for the Voice of Europe site where, in return for payment, they spread Russian views about, among other things, the war in Ukraine. Voice of Europe turned out to be a Russian-funded influence operation.
"Many are inexperienced politicians"
Paet points out that those who get posts in various committees in the EU Parliament have a great deal of influence over the laws that are then hammered out.
- If Russia and China were to gain systematic influence here, it would be very dangerous. There are few people who produce the legal texts and the other parliamentarians have to rely on them because they all have their special areas.
He believes the parliament's low preparedness for Russian and Chinese influence is due to the fact that many EU countries have still not realized the seriousness of the war in Ukraine.
- Russia has the resources and will to be active in many places in the world. It was recently revealed that they have 2,000 soldiers in place in Libya. It could affect migrant flows to Europe. Russia has its fingers in a series of coups in Africa. They are active in Latin America.
Again, the forehead gets concerned folds.
- Many of those who sit in the EU Parliament are inexperienced politicians. For many, it is their first real assignment. They are more easily influenced than parliamentarians who have previousl
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar