The violation of the rule of law by Germany and France by breaching the EU’s embargo on arms exports to Russia
10.5.2022
Question for oral answer O-000017/2022
to the Commission
Rule 136
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski
on behalf of the ECR Group
In March 2022, articles published by Disclose and Investigate Europe reported that despite the EU’s embargo on arms deliveries to Russia in force since 2014, France has exported arms to Russia worth EUR 152 million and Germany has supplied Russia with military hardware worth EUR 121.8 million.
By circumventing the EU’s arms delivery ban, France and Germany were involved in strategic corruption and supported the Russian regime that has been violating international law, waging war against Ukraine, and acting against the EU and its Member States. Thus, it is justified to contend that both France and Germany breached EU values and, in particular, flagrantly infringed the rule of law enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Therefore, these Member States should be subject to the procedure specified in Article 7 of the TEU.
Moreover, by breaching the EU’s embargo, France and Germany have endangered the EU, its security and its interests, including its financial interests. Article 4(1) of Regulation 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget stipulates that ‘appropriate measures shall be taken where it is established in accordance with Article 6 that breaches of the principles of the rule of law in a Member State affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial management of the Union budget or the protection of the financial interests of the Union in a sufficiently direct way’.
Given this:
- 1.Has the Commission, in its role as the guardian of the Treaties as stipulated in Article 17 of the TEU, initiated an investigation with a view to launching the procedure under Article 7 of the TEU for the infringement of the rule of law by France and Germany because of their breaches of the EU’s embargo?
- 2.Did the Commission investigate and clarify whether companies involved in delivering arms to Russia in breach of the EU embargo benefited from EU funds or any other forms of subsidy or grant from the EU budget?
- 3.If it is confirmed that the aforementioned companies benefited from EU funding, when will the Commission launch procedures provided for in Regulation 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget against France and Germany in response to their actions in breach of EU law?
Submitted: 10.5.2022
Lapses: 11.8.2022