Debate: The relations of the Russian government and diplomatic network with parties of extremist, populist, anti-European and certain other European political parties in the context of the war
Date: WEDNESDAY, 6 JULY 2022
Speaker: Mikuláš Bek
Language: EN

Fundamental rights and freedoms, political and media pluralism, the rule of law and free, fair and transparent elections are key elements of democracies, and we must scrupulously protect them from any hostile foreign interference. That is why the Czech Presidency decided to make the resilience of democratic institutions one of its key priorities. Any interference in our political processes is unacceptable, particularly in the current geopolitical climate, and also in the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections. The tactics used to exert foreign influence are multifaceted and include covert donations and loans to political parties, coordinated disinformation actions, spreading false narratives, and elite capture or co—optation. At present, Russia is trying in particular to influence our political decision-making and to interfere with the information space in Europe and beyond. In short, foreign interference can be overcome only by decisive action by all relevant stakeholders. The Council takes these varying trends very seriously and is actively seeking to implement an operational, legal and political framework to make our democratic systems more resilient. I would like to focus on two areas of work: first, the financing of political parties, and secondly, a coordinated response to hybrid campaigns. The proposal for a recast of the Regulation on the statute and the funding of the European political parties and European political foundations remains one of the priorities of the Czech Presidency. The Regulation intends to increase the transparency of the main financial flows. Citizens are entitled to know where financing received by the parties, who are supposed to represent them, comes from. The proposal also states that participation in the governance and financing of European political parties should be limited to members from European Union countries in order to minimise the risk of foreign interference. The current context justifies such precautions. Of course, this does not prevent the European political parties from continuing to cooperate with their political partners beyond EU borders. The Council is ready to start negotiations with Parliament on the basis of the partial general approach we adopted in March. I am sure we will find common ground so that the new legislation can enter into force in time for the next European Parliament elections. As regards hybrid threats, the Council has just approved conclusions which, from June onwards, establish a policy framework for a coordinated EU response. It is a significant achievement that shows that we are well aware of the significance of the challenges in front of us. The Council also started to work on conclusions on foreign information, manipulation and interference which, when approved, will clearly signal our will to cooperate with our partners both in our neighbourhood and beyond to counter this threat. As a next step, the Council will develop the EU hybrid toolbox to maximise the tools already available at European level, and also to open the door to tools that could make us stronger, safer and better prepared. Possible restrictive measures are not excluded here. The toolbox will also allow us to systematically work on enhancing resilience of the EU and our partners. The Czech Presidency will work very intensively on this toolbox from the very beginning. It is an important step that will enable the EU to tackle the issue of foreign interference more broadly and with a level of ambition that matches the challenge.