9th parliamentary term Antoni COMÍN I OLIVERES

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.

While overall we agree with the content of the report, we abstained because it fails to mention the unacceptable actions of the Chair of the Committee on Petitions, Ms Dolors Montserrat, throughout the legislative term.
The right to petition is a fundamental component of Union citizenship. For this reason, it is essential that the Committee be able to examine in a rigorous way all requests from citizens related to the competences of the European Union. Nevertheless, Ms Montserrat manipulates this committee and prevents citizens from exerting the right to petition properly by prioritising requests that are either in the interest of the Spanish nationalism, or in that of her party, the Spanish PP.
A clear example of this fact is that Ms Montserrat is wasting time and resources to repeatedly process petitions about the school system in Catalonia, ignoring that the European Commission has already said - on all occasions - that the European Union is not competent on this matter.
It is necessary that the Committee on Petitions stop being the instrument of the national and partisan interests of her president, and return to its original function: a democratic instrument to defend the rights of citizens.

We have voted in favour of this report because we fully share the concern regarding the interference of Russia in the Union’s democracy. However, we deplore the approval by the Plenary of an amendment to this report (S&D’s Amendment 31) which seeks to promote, through the back door, an unfounded claim about the Catalan pro-independence movement. This is only the latest of a series of attempts by the Spanish government, the Spanish state (its police and intelligence services) and its press to push a narrative of supposed ties between the pro-independence movement and Russian intelligence.
The amendment only seeks to misrepresent a democratic movement as an instrument intended to destabilise the European Union, to cover up the relentless repression it is subject to and to isolate it from possible allies that might raise their voice against the fundamental rights violations Spain is continually committing.
The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence in the Catalan independence process is an absolute falsehood (or fake news, as it is now called). The fabrication comes from the profoundly anti-independence Guardia Civil police body and stems from political espionage of private messages obtained illegally (as acknowledged by the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office).
The European Parliament should better guard itself from involuntarily contributing to the spread of fake news, as this very seriously affects its legitimacy to condemn fake news and misinformation campaigns of other countries, not least Russia.