Members of the European Parliament (EP) call for the development of a new European Union (EU) strategy for the promotion of democracy in Russia, informs Jānis Krastiņš, EP press secretary in Latvia.
He said the EP resolution emphasized the need for Europe to counter the Kremlin’s aggressive policies while laying the foundations for cooperation with the democratic democracy of the future.
Assessing the state of EU-Russia relations, the EP noted the need to make a clear distinction between the Russian people and the Putin regime, which is “a stagnant authoritarian kleptocracy led by an oligarchic president who will rule for the rest of his life”.
However, MEPs stressed that Russia can have a democratic future, so the EU Council must adopt an EU strategy for this scenario, including incentives and conditions to strengthen Russia’s internal democratic trends.
The resolution was adopted on Thursday with 494 votes in favor, 103 against and 72 abstentions.
The EP emphasized the need for the EU to form an alliance with the US and other like-minded partners in order to balance Russia’s and China’s efforts to weaken democracy around the world and destabilize the European order. Joint sanctions, measures to combat illicit financial flows and support for human rights activists should be provided for.
The EU must also continue to support the Eastern Partnership countries, such as Ukraine or Georgia, and promote convergence-oriented reforms and the strengthening of fundamental freedoms in the region. Democratic reforms in Russia must also be supported.
The resolution stresses the need for the EU to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, oil and other raw materials, at least as long as President Putin is in power. The European Green Course is an essential tool for European geopolitical security, MEPs added.
MEPs want the EU to strengthen its capacity to detect and stop dirty cash flows from Russia, as well as to reveal the hidden wealth and financial assets of the Russian regime’s autocrats and corrupt oligarchs in the Member States.
Finally, MEPs called for the EU to be prepared not to recognize the Russian parliament if the September 2021 parliamentary elections violate democratic principles and international law.
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