In a letter sent on 8 April to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, a group of 10 members of the European Parliament warns that pro-Russian lawmakers may be sharing confidential details of the institution’s work with Moscow, including efforts to provide military assistance to Ukraine. They call on the President to address this issue in light of the recent revelations of the Hungarian government’s ties to Russia. Co-signatory Petras Auštřevičius published the letter on his X account on 9 April.
“A group of MEPs reacts to outgoing scandal of #Hungary Government by leaking sensitive information to #russia and asks to limit the access to sensitive information and official activities of certain openly pro-Russian MEPs and their offices be looked for,” Auštřevičius, a member of the Renew Group and MEP from Lithuania, wrote.
“We are writing to express our deep concern about recent allegations that the Hungarian government is deliberately sharing confidential information obtained during EU Council meetings with the Putin regime,” the letter says.
The European lawmakers express their ongoing concern regarding the risks of leaking confidential information during their work. They highlight that these risks and the necessity to address them have been raised multiple times, particularly by the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in Democratic Processes in the EU, which encompasses issues of disinformation, during the previous parliamentary term. Additionally, this matter has been echoed by the Special Committee on the European Shield for Democracy.
MEPs stress that, despite these discussions, no significant changes have been implemented, resulting in continued reliance on their own security measures.
“Pro-Russian MEPs with ties to the Putin regime are still able to attend on camera [r.n. closed committee] meetings and hire staff without undergoing proper security or open-source screening. This enables them to collect sensitive information, including details of our military and financial support for Ukraine, and pass it on to the Russian side,” the letter says.
The signatories firmly believe that this situation undermines the work, trust and institutional integrity of the European Parliament, as well as the security of the European Union. They call for urgent measures to reform the European Parliament’s rules on transparency, integrity, accountability, and the fight against corruption, and to explore ways to restrict access to confidential information and to the official activities of some openly pro-Russian MEPs and their cabinets.
The signatories are Petras Auštřevičius, Pekka Toveri (EPP, Finland), Thijs Reuten (S&Ds, The Netherlands), Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe, France), Villy Søvndal (Greens/EFA, Denmark), Elio Di Rupo (S&Ds, Belgium), Bart Groothuis (Renew Europe, The Netherlands), Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA, The Czech Republic), Merja Kyllönen (The Left, Finland) and Engin Eroglu (Renew Europe, Germany).