On the second day of the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, a debate was held titled “Russiagate: Allegations of Russian Interference in Democratic Processes in the European Union.” PiS MEPs Anna Fotyga and Ryszard Czarnecki spoke during the discussion.
Anna Fotyga stated that she was shocked by Tatiana Zhdanoka’s speech before the European Parliament. “It contrasted with my personal experience, both from the time of the struggle against communism and today, when we are also faced with the need to combat the hostile influence of the Russian Federation,” said the Polish MEP.
“For people with experiences similar to mine, it is not difficult to assess who is who in international bodies,” she stated. The former head of Polish diplomacy emphasized the importance of counterintelligence activities, which fall under the jurisdiction of member states, and expressed her appreciation for the many people in Poland who have selflessly exposed Russian influence. Speaking about the need to rid ourselves of this harmful Russian influence, Anna Fotyga emphasized that it affects not only the left or the right, as many such names appear in the mainstream of European Union politics.
Ryszard Czarnecki noted: “We Poles and our Baltic neighbors can take bitter satisfaction in this, because we have been talking about these Russian interferences—including the presence of agents—for years.” As he explained, this does not apply only to a single political group or specifically to the Baltic states, where in every parliamentary term there are a few citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia who are of Russian descent and who are elected by the Russian minority. The former Vice President of the European Parliament recalled a situation that took place during the first term in the European Parliament for Poland and the new EU member states, when a report on Nord Stream was being voted on. He noted that a female MEP from the United Kingdom, a member of the ALDE Group who was later elected Vice-President of the European Parliament, had submitted 100 pro-Russian amendments to him. “This shows the scale of interference across a wide range of political groups and countries, including those that are no longer part of the European Union,” commented the Polish politician, highlighting the scope of the problem.
