"Democracy is one of the fundamental values underpinning the European Union. Everything must be done to prevent third countries from interfering in democratic processes", stressed Marija Golubeva, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, on Monday, 11 July, during the meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of the Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. MP Golubeva underlined the need for targeted action to protect the integrity of political parties from the covert funding by third countries that affects the electoral process.

The Chairs of the Latvian and Lithuanian European Affairs Committees drafted a statement on the need to prevent the interference of foreign states in democratic processes in the European Union. A total of 20 Chairs of the European Affairs Committees of the EU member states signed the statement proposed by the Chairs of the Latvian and Lithuanian European Affairs Committees. The statement was also signed by the colleagues from two EU candidate countries - Ukraine and Moldova - as well as Georgia.

Attempts by third countries, notably Russia, to interfere in democratic processes in Europe are well documented, reads the statement by the parliamentarians. Russia's efforts to destabilise democratic processes in the European Union are expected to continue. Foreign interference and disinformation aim to damage and undermine confidence in the electoral system and democratic processes in the European Union and its member states, posits the statement.

In the statement, the Chairs of the European Affairs Committees call on the European Commission to speed up the implementation of the European Democracy Action Plan in order to strengthen the resilience of EU democracies to foreign interference. They also encourage the European Commission to develop an appropriate legal framework, to analyse the covert funding, and to submit proposals to close the loopholes that allow non-transparent funding of political parties from third-country sources.

The Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima is currently on a working visit to the Czech Republic, where she is taking part in the semi-annual meeting of the Chairs of the European Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union, organised by the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This meeting’s agenda contains the priorities of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the current challenges to media freedom and democratic processes in the European Union.

Saeima Press Service