9th parliamentary term Carles PUIGDEMONT I CASAMAJÓ

We fully share the deep concern regarding the interference of Russia and other foreign entities in the democratic processes of the European Union that are detailed in this report.
However, we voted against it because we deplore the inclusion of point 73. This point refers to an alleged wide-ranging Russian interference with secessionist movements in the EU, including in Catalonia, and calls on the relevant authorities to investigate it. The only purpose of this wording, which was incorporated into the file by Spanish MEPs, is misrepresenting a democratic movement as an instrument intended to destabilise the European Union.
By doing this, Spanish MEPs seek to present a justification for the relentless repression of the Spanish state against the Catalan independence movement and discourage objections against the fundamental rights violations that Spain is continually committing in Catalonia. The self-determination aspirations of the Catalan people are not ignited by Russia, but by the national oppression that Spain imposes on Catalonia. The Catalan independence movement seeks to establish a sovereign Catalan state within the European Union, not against the European Union (or the West), and expresses its full solidarity with Ukraine and all the peoples that suffer Russian imperialism and Russian interference.

We have voted in favour of this resolution because it gives recommendations to the Commission on how to endeavour the new Southern Partnership agenda. We would also like to condemn the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Aqla and any human rights violations committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories. We support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the two state solution, but we cannot support labelling Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state. Whereas calling on Israel to respect the rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories is essential and working to ensure that Palestinians can have a state of their own is necessary, MEPs should avoid labelling Israel as an apartheid state. Israel, while being a Jewish state, is a democracy that grants citizenship rights to Jews, Arabs and other groups. There is no structural discrimination within Israel’s borders that prevent non-Jews from voting, exerting basic civil rights, etc. Stating that Israel is an apartheid state only intends to demonize the Jewish state and call into question its very existence. We cannot accept such denomination for Israel when the EU does not even consider using it for states that commit blatant systematic human rights violations against minorities -i.e. China and Uyghurs.

. ‒ This report’s Recital BG states that close ties between Catalan pro-independence leaders and Russian intelligence officials need to be investigated. This is based on an article by The New York Times which indicated that Russia had helped the Catalan pro-independence movement, without providing any evidence in this regard. The key source of the article, an alleged ‘European’ intelligence report, is actually not a European intelligence report at all. In fact, HR/VP Josep Borrell acknowledged in a written response that the only EU body with the capacity to produce intelligence reports, EU INTCEN, has never produced any intelligence report on this issue.
The article fails to mention that this ‘10-page European intelligence report’ has most likely been produced within the framework of a confidential investigation by the Spanish judicial body that the article refers to. This investigation is in turn entirely based on speculative police reports, as acknowledged even by the Spanish prosecution service.
It is not acceptable that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Russian interference in EU internal affairs is exploited to push for such criminalisation against legitimate, democratic political dissidence within EU Member States. This is why we voted against the final version of the text.