The day after the European Parliament opened an internal investigation into potential espionage activities by non-attached MEP Tatjana Ždanoka (Latvian) (see EUROPE 13339/15) on Wednesday 31 January, several Latvian MEPs wrote a joint letter suggesting that other MEPs could be acting on behalf of Moscow.
“We are convinced that Ždanoka is not an isolated case”, said Sandra Kalniete (EPP, Latvian), Roberts Zīle (ECR, Latvian) and Ivars Ijabs (Renew Europe, Latvian). “The Greens/EFA group must share responsibility for the long-term cooperation, financial support and exchange of information with Ždanoka from July 2004 to March 2022”, they added.
The Greens/EFA group said it was “deeply concerned” that Tatjana Ždanoka was the only Latvian MEP in the group until 2022. She was excluded after voting against the European Parliament resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine on 1 March 2022 (see EUROPE 12901/2).
Tatjana Ždanoka’s case was on the agenda of the European Parliament’s political group chairs at their meeting on Wednesday 31 January. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)