Gas, media: the Glucksmann commission warns of dependence on Russia and China

An army of Russian spies in Brussels

On Russia, the text considers that “the EU’s energy dependence on Russia has created enormous problems for its energy security after the outbreak of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine “. She also says she is concerned about Russia’s attempts to manipulate communication channels, to “manipulate the discourse on global food and energy security, by blaming the West for soaring food prices due to its sanctions against Russia.” . In a section devoted to the clandestine financing of political activities by foreign actors and donors, it reiterates its concerns “concerning the regular revelations of massive financing by Russia of political parties and politicians in a certain number of democratic countries”, pointing in particular to the massive interference of Moscow in the separatist movement in Catalonia.

It also targets the political elites of the EU – without mentioning them by name but in particular in reference to the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder – who have pushed the agenda of Gazprom and “fostered constant support gas supplies from Russia.” The report also looks at the delicate subject of “the instrumentalization of migrants”, citing the case of Belarus which had sent migrants to European borders in the fall of 2021.

The committee also refers to the growing influence of the activities of a foreign authoritarian state on EU intelligence agencies. A reference to the Russian Embassy in Brussels, which a Belgian newspaper had revealed, in a long investigation, that it housed an “army of spies” particularly interested in collecting sensitive information on European institutions or even the headquarters of NATO and that it was “a mini-village with a communications center with technological and other facilities for the Russian intelligence services.”

Risks of economic dependence on China

As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday (January 17th) threatened to open investigations if EU public procurement or other markets were distorted by Chinese subsidies, the report begins by recalling that Beijing “has invested nearly three billion euros in European media companies over the past ten years” and adds that “China’s example could be followed by other states with ideological similar authoritarian policies”. It also dwells on the risks of “economic dependence, espionage and sabotage” given the influence of foreign companies in critical infrastructures. The case of the Chinese shipping company Cosco “which has acquired majority stakes in more than 20 European ports” and which is preparing to enter the capital of the port of Hamburg, the third largest port in Europe, is particularly cited.

The report also points to the Confucius Institutes which have swarmed throughout Europe – there are still more than 180, including 17 in France – as well as the “considerable number of European researchers, in Austria and the Czech Republic, but also in other countries. ‘other European countries, which are directly funded by the People’s Republic of China which focuses on artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, integrated circuits, space research, new materials, neuroscience and biotechnology’. The committee nevertheless welcomes the implementation of the European Global Gateway project, an ambitious infrastructure investment project worth 300 billion euros by 2027 and which aims to counter the Chinese project of “New Silk Roads”.

In the middle of Qatargate, and while MEPs should see their parliamentary immunity lifted for non-declaration of trips to Qatar, we can nevertheless regret the short paragraph devoted to this scandal and in which the committee is content to “denounce in the strongest terms keen on Qatar’s alleged attempts to influence members, former deputies and staff of the European Parliament through acts of corruption, which constitute serious foreign interference in the democratic processes of the EU.”

Raphaël Gluckmann’s commission, which is continuing its work, is due to begin hearings on “Qatargate” from January 26. Amendments should then be added on this subject during the examination of the preliminary report until the end of January, before the adoption of a final version of the report.

What the INGE2 Commission recommends

In order to counter foreign influences, the report proposes the crcreation of a European structure responsible for regular work on the manipulation and interference of foreign information. It encourages the EU to a collective effort to raise awareness of foreign interference, to regularly identify countries at “high risk” in terms of interference, to intensify the EU’s strategic communication in response to massive campaigns by rival countries , to define a strategy to fight against the manipulation of information in the context of future elections, to increase its investments in cybersecurity and also all European national parliaments to create study commissions on foreign interference. The report also asks the European Commission and the European Council to exclude the use of equipment from high-risk countries, citing Huawei, ZTE, Kaspersky, Nuctech etc. With regard to the media, the commission proposes a set of measures to guarantee the financing of public media and transparency on the financing of private media. In the context of attacks against submarine cables and pipelines, the European External Action Service must develop monitoring actions to protect the global digital connectivity of submarine cables. Finally, given the regular revelations of massive funding of European political parties by Russia, the commission recommends the creation of a map of foreign funding in European countries before a total ban on foreign funding of political activities.