On 6 February, MEP Irena Joveva (Renew Europe/Svoboda) took part in the debate on Russian interference in democratic processes in the European Union at the plenary session in Strasbourg. ”We cannot pretend that foreign interference in our democratic processes does not exist,” the MEP stressed in her address.

Among other things, the MEP expressed deep concern over reports of espionage against one of her MEPs. Joveva stressed the need for the European Parliament to treat the matter extremely seriously and expressed the hope that a thorough investigation would be followed by concrete measures by the competent institutions.

Nevertheless, she warned that MEPs should not deny the fact that foreign interference in democratic processes in the European Union is real.

”And the methods for doing so are increasingly sophisticated. Today’s debate is the result of information about the influence of Russian secret services on one of our colleagues, but the problem is much bigger.”

Joveva reminded those present of the Ibiza scandal, when the then leader of the Austrian Free Democrats was secretly filmed. Among similar cases, the MP also highlighted Russian loans to the French National Front Marine Le Pen, as well as reports from American intelligence agencies stating that Russia has spent at least 300 million dollars on financing various political parties around the world.

According to the MP, these controversial practices are still happening, but they do not originate only from Russia. The MP is also concerned by the fact that far-right parties are the most susceptible to these practices. As the MP emphasized, ironically, it is precisely the most nationalistic parties that are willing to act even against their own national interests.

The MP concluded her speech with a call for clarification and the setting of at least minimum standards to prevent such practices.

BACKGROUND

On January 29, the Russian investigative newspaper The Insider revealed that Latvian MEP Tatjana Zhdanoka had been working with the Russian FSB intelligence service for two decades. The officer cited emails between Zhdanoka and two Russian officials that allegedly contained detailed reports about her work in the European Parliament, particularly in terms of promoting pro-Russian sentiment in the Baltic region. Zhdanoka, who is currently an unaffiliated MEP, strongly denies the newspaper’s claims of working with the intelligence service. Her former Green/EFA political group has also launched an investigation into the allegations against Zhdanoka. Zhdanoka was also among the 13 MEPs who voted against a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.

You can watch the full video here.

Photo: EP – Alexis HAULOT

On Tuesday, 12 September 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke during the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on combating the normalisation of far-right and far-left discourses including antisemitism. According to her, “normalisation leads to acceptance”, and the discourse of the opportunists, who create fear and mistrust among people for their own gain, must not be accepted or normalised: “We must not let them dictate the pace of our actions.”

Joveva began her speech by saying that she is one of the many who receive hateful comments on a daily basis, stressing that she wasn’t talking about critical comments, but vicious and dangerous ones. She is convinced that we must all take on the issue of the normalisation of radical discourse, as it is on the rise.

“Normalisation leads to acceptance. Acceptance in turn influences the perception of reality.”

She regretted that this is also the case in the European Parliament. She referred, among other things, to the European People’s Party’s deals with the far right to obstruct much-needed legislation, but above all, she said, she was referring to the “dangerous populist demagogy that is dictating the pace”.

“We ought not to normalise and accept this. They are opportunists. They create fear and mistrust among people for their own gain. Through manipulation. They use, for instance, someone’s origin to advance nationalism under the guise of patriotism.”

With that in mind, she ended her address by urging everyone in the political centre, to which she herself belongs, to reject such discourse upfront and “not to yield to the desires of extremists to influence our policies or actions”.

“Come on. Let’s set standards,” Joveva concluded.

You can watch the MEP’s speech here.

On Wednesday, 10 May 2023, MEP Irena Joveva discussed an update of the EU’s anti-corruption legislative framework at the plenary session in Strasbourg. She underscored that those elected to the European Parliament are there to act for the common good of all people, not to make lives easier for “individuals with deep pockets”, thereby seeking their own personal gain.

The MEP began her speech by listing the most prominent corruption scandals that have shocked citizens, Member States and the European and global public alike. Among them, she mentioned the most recent affair, the so-called Qatargate, while also recalling the “LuxLeaks”, “Galvin report”, “cash-for-influence” and the most notorious “Cresson” affair, which even led to the resignation of the entire European Commission at the time.

These are just a few of the high-profile corruption scandals at European level, and there are many more at Member State level, noted Joveva, adding that this is an extremely big problem, which not only undermines democratic values, but time and again erodes the already fragile trust in politics and politicians:

“We are here to work for the common good of all people, not to make lives easier for certain companies, countries and individuals with deep pockets, and in so doing seeking our own personal gain. It is true that some anti-corruption safeguards and mechanisms are in place, but they are more than clearly insufficient.”

In Joveva’s view, a directive on combating corruption is long overdue, but with the Commission’s current proposal, it is at least finally on the table:

“The proposal finally introduces a single supranational legislation and envisages penalties for corruption crimes. Those who seek to profit will thus finally end up alongside other offenders – behind bars.”

BACKGROUND

During her State of the Union address in September 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged that the Commission would come forward with proposals to tackle corruption. The latest revelations of alleged corrupt practices in the European Parliament have added fuel to the fire, and the Commission subsequently unveiled a proposal for a directive on combating corruption on 3 May 2023.

The European Parliament, as co-legislator, is involved in the examination of proposals to ensure optimal implementation of the rules, political oversight and accountability of those elected. MEPs have taken stock of the European Commission’s anti-corruption proposals in the plenary. The European Union aims to enhance existing frameworks, proactively tackle corruption at the policy-making level, support Member States in these efforts and leverage the annual rule of law report. In addition, the proposal foresees new rules on criminal offences, harmonised penalties across the Member States, and a dedicated regime to target corruption worldwide.

In addition to the latest Qatargate affair, other high-profile scandals in the European Union include the Cresson affair, the “cash-for-influence” affair, LuxLeaks and the Galvin report.

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech in Slovenian here.

On Wednesday, 19 April 2023, during the Strasbourg plenary session, MEP Irena Joveva contributed to the topical debate Keeping people healthy, water drinkable and soil liveable: getting rid of forever pollutants and strengthening EU chemical legislation now. She said that there has been enough delay in the overhaul of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. Should an immediate proposal remain outstanding, the European Commission’s empty promises will remain just that – empty, she stressed.

Joveva began by summarising the essence of the plenary debate: the fact that basic goods such as clean water, safe food, unpolluted soil and clean air should be a given. The Union is right to pay a great deal of attention to these areas, but at the same time it shies away from regulating chemicals, where, as Joveva pointed out, there have been no serious amendments since 2006, when the still applicable Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (commonly known as REACH) was adopted.

”The (European) Commission has been seemingly promising its revision for three years now. It appears that the proposal will only be presented in the final quarter of this year, just a few months before the elections. Which means that these empty promises will remain just that. Empty.”

As Joveva elaborated, in the meantime, humans and other organisms will continue to be exposed to harmful chemicals, the negative effects of which will last for decades.

But given that all measures that have been or are being taken in the EU to protect the environment and health succeed or fail depending on closely interconnected areas that remain unregulated, Joveva concluded her speech with determination:

”Enough stalling. We need a revised REACH proposal now. While we still have time to adopt it.”

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech here (in slovenian).

BACKGROUND

Chemicals are part of our everyday lives and are present in the products we use and in the high-tech materials needed for a circular and climate-neutral economy. The 2006 Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (commonly known as REACH) is the cornerstone of the European Union’s chemicals legislation. This Regulation aims to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment. A targeted revision of the Regulation is currently planned for the fourth quarter of 2023.

On 14 October 2020, the European Commission adopted the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. The Strategy is part of the European Union’s zero pollution ambition – a key commitment of the European Green Deal. Through the strategy, the European Commission aims to better protect citizens and the environment from harmful chemicals and to stimulate innovation by promoting the use of safer and more sustainable chemicals. However, given that this is only a strategy, it is not legally binding on Member States.

On Wednesday, 15 March 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke at the Strasbourg plenary session in the debate on cross-border adoptions of children from third countries. She pointed out that the price of the lack of a single legislative framework or mechanism for cross-border adoptions will be paid by the children, which none of us should wish for: “Enough with the excuses about who is competent for the matter and who is not. Let’s take responsibility, all of us, and let’s act.”

“Children are our future. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it’s as simple as that”, began Joveva, stressing that at the same time, as the most vulnerable part of society, “these children are at the mercy of our decisions to take measures to ensure their safety”. In her view appropriate conditions must be created for cross-border adoptions, as otherwise we leave the door open for illegality, the violation of numerous human rights and serious crimes that have devastating consequences in the lives of the victims.

In her address, Joveva focused in particular on the lack of a single legislative framework or mechanism which would serve to prevent potential human trafficking under the guise of cross-border adoptions. She pointed out that there have certainly been many such cases, which unfortunately have gone unnoticed:

“Meanwhile, for years the (European) Commission has been passing on the issue of the lack of regulation to the Member States. Enough with the excuses about who is competent for the matter and who is not. Let’s take responsibility, all of us, and let’s act. Or else … it won’t be us who pays the price. It will be our children. Our future. Does this still sound like a cliché? It’s as simple as that.”

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech here.

BACKGROUND:

All Member States have national provisions governing adoption, but legal procedures vary considerably across the EU, as substantive family law is a national competence. The European Parliament has been trying to regulate this family law topic with cross-border implications since 2009, when it adopted a Resolution on international adoption in the European Union, which called for consideration to be given to coordinating strategies at European level and facilitating the mutual recognition of the documents necessary for adoption.

In 2017, the European Parliament adopted a resolution with recommendations to the Commission on cross-border aspects of adoptions. At the time, the Directorate for Impact Assessment and European Added Value (EAVA) estimated that, in addition to the social, health and fundamental rights implications for individuals, the cost of the lack of EU rules on automatic recognition of adoption decisions amounted to around €1.65 million per year. Legislation at EU level would reduce administrative and legal costs and better protect the interests of the child and the fundamental rights of adoptive parents.