Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said this Friday that his country's Federal Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into Russian interference in European politicians, including with payments to members of the European Parliament to disseminate their propaganda, and called for more tools to fight against foreign interference in democracy.
"Our federal prosecutor has initiated an investigation based on classified information that our intelligence services have prepared," De Croo said at a press conference marking the halfway point of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
The federal prosecutor's office will announce in the coming days the start of this investigation, which concerns the pro-Kremlin propaganda network that has been discovered trying to influence the European Parliament and the upcoming European elections from June 6 to 9, whose activities They can be considered crimes in Belgium.
"The investigation shows how Moscow approached and also paid MEPs to promote Russian propaganda here. Belgian intelligence has confirmed the existence of a pro-Russian interference network with activity in several European countries and here in Belgium," said the Belgian prime minister. .
De Croo explained that his intelligence services "are clear" that Moscow's objective was to help more pro-Russian candidates get elected in the elections to the European Parliament next June to reinforce the pro-Russian narrative in the institution.
"Weakened EU support for Ukraine helps Russia on the battlefield," warned De Croo, who pointed out that, although Russian payments to politicians did not take place on Belgian soil, the interference did, so Belgium has a "responsibility" to protect the right of every citizen to a free and secure vote.
At the moment, the number of politicians being investigated, their nationalities, name or party are classified information, although Czech media - where the first investigation began and the payments supposedly took place - point to people from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands and Hungary.
De Croo, who has been in contact with the Czech Prime Minister and the presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola, urged that the EU also react and examine whether the powers of the European Public Prosecutor's Office against (EPPO) and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) are sufficient to address these cases.
Otherwise, the EU should explore "expanding" its mandates, requested De Croo, who said he will also raise this issue with the rest of the heads of state and government of the European Union at the summit they will hold in Brussels next Wednesday. and Thursday.
