There’s always something going on with those Russians, and now also with the Chinese. With propaganda and disinformation they try to poison our naive minds and undermine even strong institutions such as the European Parliament. “Vigilance is required,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned.
Perhaps the Brussels justice department has more important issues to worry about, because we still hear little about Qatargate. When the affair exploded in December 2022, not a single piece of newsprint was used to denounce the political silliness of some MEPs. Transparency International, an organization that mercilessly exposes every trace of corruption, spoke of a culture of impunity and a total lack of ethical control that has characterized the European Parliament for decades. Qatargate was an illustration of this.
At the request of intelligence services, Belgian and Italian investigators had seized more than 1 million euros in cash, including from the home of Eva Kaili, a Greek socialist and one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament. According to the pollsters, the money came from the Gulf state of Qatar, which is eager to gain favor with the European Union. Belgian PS members were also mentioned, including Marc Tarabella and former Minister of Pensions Marie Arena. The spider in the web of corruption turned out to be the Italian Antonio Panzeri, a former Eurodeputé.
The investigation also put the spotlight on possible influence by Moroccan services. They are said to have paid members of the European Parliament to vote in favor of Morocco’s sometimes drastic interventions in the disputed Western Sahara.
Culinary and other showers
There seemed to be little dispute about the Qatargate facts. Still, the investigation drags on. It is already time for a second investigating judge. The first was taken off the case because his son shared business interests in a medicinal cannabis trade with Arena’s son.
Meanwhile, it is feared that not only the Qataris and the Moroccans, but also the Russians and the Chinese, with their propaganda and disinformation, are trying to poison our naive minds and undermine a brave institution like the European Parliament. Due to the military operations in Ukraine, Russian activities in particular are being taken seriously. “Vigilance is required,” warned the always fatherly federal Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD).
If the investigation into Russian and Chinese drivers is tackled like Qatargate, it is to be feared that it will take some time before we know with certainty whether Dewinter and his associates have compromised the security of the Belgian state.
It was the Czechs who sounded the alarm. Together with the Polish services, they had smoked out the Voice of Europe website. That propaganda machine, financed by the Ukrainian pro-Russian politician-oligarch Viktor Medvechuk, operated from the Czech Republic. After the revelations, Voice of Europe went offline for a while, but promptly moved to Kazakhstan, a country that is flexible when it comes to circumventing Western sanctions against Russia.
Belgium wants to unceremoniously prosecute MEPs and other elected officials who allow themselves to be paid to spread pro-Russian messages. Some German MPs from the ultra-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) have already been targeted. Our attention is focused on representatives of the Vlaams Belang, such as Flemish Member of Parliament Filip Dewinter, who enjoyed culinary and other douceurs from Russians and Chinese. Although it is to be feared that, if the investigation into Russian and Chinese activities is tackled like Qatargate, it will take a while before we know with certainty whether Dewinter and his extreme right-wing associates in the European Parliament protect the security of the Belgian state and the EU. have been compromised.
By the way, where does foreign influence begin (illegal) and where does lobbying occur (legal)? Because if a Flemish Belanger or an AfD member is paid by Russians or Chinese to clarify European regulations and also reports that income in his tax return, there is no legal problem.
Nevertheless, in the context of the European presidency, Belgium has already activated the European crisis response mechanism Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR), as a precaution against possible foreign interference in the upcoming elections. It is not clear what we should imagine in this regard. Is it conceivable that the European elections will be declared invalid if there is foreign interference and disinformation? And who determines that?
A building in Prague
The important question remains who is and who is not allowed to influence. The Czechs rightly chased out the pro-Russian Voice of Europe. But in the meantime, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty operates from a building along Prague’s Vinohradská, focusing on Russia, Asia and the Middle East. That radio station started as a CIA initiative and is now funded directly by the US Congress. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also participates in Radio Farda, which supports Iranian opposition movements with its broadcasts in Persian.
In Europe there was some embarrassment at the time when the German television channel ARD revealed in 2000 that French President François Mitterrand had deposited more than 15 million euros into the election fund of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl via the French oil company Elf Aquitaine in support of France’s European interests.
Earlier this week, there was a commotion about an FBI report showing that chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Els Van Hoof (CD&V) was already hacked by Chinese services in 2021. In 2021, of all places, it became known that the NSA, the intelligence service of the US Defense Department, was spying on German Chancellor Angela Merel and other European politicians. With the help of the Danes, that is.
The greatest danger to European democracy does not come from the Chinese and Russians, but from our careless treatment of the institutions.
These types of influence strategies, both by the West and by Russia and China, are an extension of the Cold War. One of the major real estate owners in Brussels is still the Communist Party. She owes this heritage to decades of royal support from Moscow through the fencing company Tracosa. This was founded by the communist businessman Xavier Relecom to supervise the business transactions of Belgian companies with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. After the split of the Communist Party between Moscow and Beijing supporters, Relecom would set up Sodexim for trade with China.
But the Americans also made themselves felt here. After his appointment by newly elected President Bill Clinton, CIA Director James Woolsey admitted that U.S. intelligence provided financial support to political parties in Europe until the late 1950s. Even the European Movement of Paul-Henri Spaak and Winston Churchill received millions of dollars from the CIA to help create a United Europe. It is a bit delicate to remind them of that in Brussels.
The greatest danger to European democracy does not come from the Chinese and Russians, but from our careless treatment of the institutions.
