During the period of European elections, the newspaper “Politico†decided to try to understand which MEPs have been Russia’s “main allies†in the European Parliament. Analysis of voting records in 16 resolutions since 2020 that criticize Moscow made it possible to compile a list of 30 MEPs which includes two Portuguese: Sandra Pereira and João Pimenta Lopes, both from PCP.
The selected resolutions include topics such as Russian military reinforcement on the border with Ukraine (in April 2021), the escalation of the Russian war of aggression (October 2022) or the inhumane conditions of arrest of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny (February 2023).
MEP Sandra Pereira, current number two on the CDU’s European list, appears in second place on the “Politico†chart, with 14 votes against – she was not present in the remaining two. João Pimenta Lopes, who is third on the CDU list for sunday eleiçõesoccupies sixth position with a total of 12 votes against – it was not present in the other four.
Moscow’s critical resolutions “have normally been supported by a large majority of MEPs”, but “a small group firmly opposed the anti-Russia texts, abstained or skipped votes”. , points out “Politicoâ€. The majority are far-left and far-right deputies from the Left Group and Identity and Democracy and are not registered, the newspaper indicates, also mentioning that two thirds of those present on the list are o running for re-election this week.
The MEP with the highest number of votes against (15) is Tatjana Zdanoka, from Latvia, who was accused of spying for Russia and will not run again. “Yes, I am an agent, an agent for peace,†responded in February, denying the accusation. A European Parliament inquiry found her to be in breach of the MEPs’ code of conduct, which resulted in a fine of 1,750 euros.
The analysis also highlights how voting records reveal “deep divisions†within the groups. In Identity and Democracy, deputies from Alternative for Germany (AfD) â party since expelled from the group – abstained from or opposed most of the texts, while those from the French National Gathering supported only a quarter.
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The work also concludes that some deputies “softened their position†, increasingly opting to abstain rather than vote against, as Russia’s war in Ukraine dragged on.
