The European Parliament calls on member states to “increase efforts to counter Russian interference” also in view of the 2024 European elections and following recent revelations about Kremlin-backed attempts to interfere and undermine democratic processes in Europe. The resolution was voted on today in Strasbourg by an overwhelming majority: 429 votes in favour, 27 against and 48 abstentions. But the two main parties of the majority – Brothers of Italy and League – together with the 5 Star Movement, failed to give their yes by abstaining. Among the Italians, MEPs from Forza Italia, Terzo Polo, Pd and Verdi sided in favor. As regards the European groups as a whole, however, the European People’s Party (EPP), Renew, the Socialists, the Greens and the Left (with some distinctions) voted in favour. The Group of European Conservatives and Reformists (Ecr) as well, with the exception of the Brothers of Italy and part of the Spaniards of Vox. In the Identity and Democracy group, Northern League and Lepen supporters abstained, while the Germans of AfD voted against.
Distinctions and reactions
For the M5S delegation to the EP, “the interference of foreign countries, including Russian interference, in European democracy is many and must be stopped with all possible force”. But, the MEPs write in a note, «it is unacceptable to brand as pro-Russian those who oppose the sending of weapons to conflict zones, such as the Ukrainian one. This is an ideological stretch that we reject: we are a genuinely pacifist force, as are millions of Italians who are in solidarity with the Ukrainians and for this very reason hope for an end to hostilities. These are the reasons that led us to abstain today during the resolution voted in the European Parliament on the text relating to the fight against Russian interference”. For Sandro Gozi, general secretary of the European Democratic Party and member of Renew’s Team Europe, today’s vote is not a surprise at all since «the Italian pro-Putin party is alive and transversal. It is not surprising that the League has repeatedly demonstrated its closeness to Moscow and it is not surprising that the M5S chooses the far right and it is not surprising that Fratelli d’Italia is consistent with Meloni who only two years ago in his book spoke of Putin as a great European leader.” For Gozi “this vote is yet another answer on the true nature of the extremist right in Italy, on their allies in the EU such as Le Pen and Afd, and on those outside Europe”, he concludes.
The resolution
In the resolution the MEPs said they were «concerned by the recent interrogation of the main Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) MP, Maximilian Krah, by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on suspicion that he received money from agents of the Kremlin, and since the arrest in Germany, on 23 April 2024, of his parliamentary assistant on charges of being a Chinese spy.” The text therefore calls on the AfD, which voted against today, to «publicly declare without delay its financial relations, in particular with the Kremlin, and to make public the purpose and exact amount of all payments from sources linked to the Kremlin”. To strengthen the European Parliament’s defenses, the text suggests “strengthening the culture of internal security, including in-depth internal investigations to assess possible cases of foreign interference.” The resolution finally calls on the Council to include Kremlin-backed media and other broadcast and media organizations and individuals responsible for spreading propaganda and disinformation in the EU in the next 14th sanctions package.
