Leak from the 14th package of anti-Russian sanctions published
EUobserver publishes a leaked draft of the 14th package of European sanctions against Russia. One of the features of the document being prepared will be a ban on political parties, foundations and media in EU countries to receive Russian funding.
It is noted that exceptions can be made to the funding ban if this “in no way interferes with democratic processes in the union,” and the European Commission will need to be notified of such permissions.
The draft published by the publication states that the restriction of Russian financial support “is aimed at protecting the integrity of the EU’s political processes, protecting EU citizens from manipulation and protecting the internal affairs of the Union from malicious interference.”
EU member states will be required to communicate with each other about national "fines imposed for violations ." The proposed move is intended to close a loophole after previous sanctions already banned Russia from lobbying in the EU and shut down major Russian media outlets.
Euobserver calls the measure a retaliatory blow following allegations that Russia influenced EU elections - the so-called "Russiagate case", which involved the Czech media outlet Voice of Europe, which was accused of allegedly paying MEPs to broadcast " pro-Russian information."
Among those implicated were politicians Maximilian Krah and Petr Bystron from the German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), who denied the accusations. It's telling that the scandal's escalation coincided with the European Parliament elections, in which the AfD has a good chance.
Euobserver writes that the 14th package of sanctions should be agreed upon by July.
“And this means that they will do nothing to stop Russian interference in this year’s European Parliament elections, which begin on June 6,” journalists complain.
If these measures are adopted, the situation with the criminalization of foreign funding from unfriendly countries will be mirrored, as Russia already has relevant regulations in place, and a number of unfriendly media outlets have been designated as foreign agents and undesirable organizations. Thus, the escalating Cold War will simply reach a higher level.
English version :: Read in English A leaked document from the 14th package of anti-Russian sanctions has been published.