State of EU-Russia relations: A brief analysis of the EP vote

On 10 June 2015, the European Parliament adopted a resolution "on the state of EU-Russia relations". It is a strong resolution that condemns the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as reminding that Russia is "directly or indirectly, involved in a number of 'frozen conflicts' in its neighbourhood – in Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhasia and Nagorno Karabakh".

Importantly, the resolution states that "at this point Russia [...] can no longer be treated as, or considered, a ‘strategic partner’".

In the context of this blog, I am happy to say that the European Parliament raises concerns directly related to the themes regularly discussed here, namely the cooperation between Putin's Russia and the Western far right:

Is deeply concerned at the ever more intensive contacts and cooperation, tolerated by the Russian leadership, between European populist, fascist and extreme right-wing parties on the one hand and nationalist groups in Russia on the other; recognises that this represents a danger to democratic values and the rule of law in the EU; calls in this connection on the EU institutions and Member States to take action against this threat of an emerging ‘Nationalist International’;

Is deeply concerned with Russia´s support for and financing of radical and extremist parties in the EU Member States; considers a recent meeting in St Petersburg of the far right parties an insult to the memory of millions of Russians who sacrificed their lives to save the world from Nazism;

As could be expected and was demonstrated before, the overwhelming majority of the votes against the resolution has come from the far right, eurosceptic and (far) left parties. Here is the full list of MEPs who gave voted against the resolution.

Country/MEP	Party	Ideological orientation
Austria
Barbara KAPPEL	FPÖ	radical right-wing populism
Georg MAYER	FPÖ	radical right-wing populism
Franz OBERMAYR	FPÖ	radical right-wing populism
Harald VILIMSKY	FPÖ	radical right-wing populism
Bulgaria
Iliana IOTOVA	Bulgarian Socialist Party	socialism
Momchil NEKOV	Bulgarian Socialist Party	socialism
Georgi PIRINSKI	Bulgarian Socialist Party	socialism
Cyprus
Takis HADJIGEORGIOU	Progressive Party of Working People - Left - New Forces	communism
Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS	Progressive Party of Working People - Left - New Forces	communism
Czech Republic
Jan KELLER	Česká strana sociálně demokratická	social democracy
Kateřina KONEČNÁ	Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy	communism
Petr MACH	Strana svobodných občanů	euroscepticism
Jiří MAŠTÁLKA	Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy	communism
Miloslav RANSDORF	Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy	communism
Denmark
Rina Ronja KARI	Folkebevægelsen mod EU	euroscepticism
Estonia
Yana TOOM	Eesti Keskerakond	social liberalism
France
Louis ALIOT	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Marie-Christine ARNAUTU	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Nicolas BAY	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Joëlle BERGERON	Independent	Independent
Dominique BILDE	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Marie-Christine BOUTONNET	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Steeve BRIOIS	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Aymeric CHAUPRADE	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Mireille D'ORNANO	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Edouard FERRAND	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Sylvie GODDYN	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Bruno GOLLNISCH	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Jean-François JALKH	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Patrick LE HYARIC	Front de Gauche	communism
Marine LE PEN	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Gilles LEBRETON	Souveraineté, Indépendance et Libertés	euroscepticism
Philippe LOISEAU	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Dominique MARTIN	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Bernard MONOT	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Sophie MONTEL	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Jean-Luc MÉLENCHON	Front de Gauche	communism
Joëlle MÉLIN	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Younous OMARJEE	L'union pour les Outremer	left-wing radicalism
Florian PHILIPPOT	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER	Rassemblement bleu Marine	radical right-wing populism
Mylène TROSZCZYNSKI	Front national	radical right-wing populism
Marie-Christine VERGIAT	Front de Gauche	communism
Germany
Fabio DE MASI	Die Linke	socialism
Cornelia ERNST	Die Linke	socialism
Thomas HÄNDEL	Die Linke	socialism
Sabine LÖSING	Die Linke	socialism
Martina MICHELS	Die Linke	socialism
Marcus PRETZELL	Alternative für Deutschland	euroscepticism
Helmut SCHOLZ	Die Linke	socialism
Udo VOIGT	Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands	neo-Nazism
Beatrix von STORCH	Alternative für Deutschland	euroscepticism
Hermann WINKLER	Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands	conservatism
Gabriele ZIMMER	Die Linke	socialism

Greece
Kostas CHRYSOGONOS	Coalition of the Radical Left	left-wing radicalism
Georgios EPITIDEIOS	Popular Association – Golden Dawn	neo-Nazism
Emmanouil GLEZOS	Coalition of the Radical Left	left-wing radicalism
Stelios KOULOGLOU	Coalition of the Radical Left	left-wing radicalism
Kostadinka KUNEVA	Coalition of the Radical Left	left-wing radicalism
Notis MARIAS	Independent Greeks	radical right-wing populism
Konstantinos PAPADAKIS	Communist Party of Greece	communism
Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS	Coalition of the Radical Left	left-wing radicalism
Sofia SAKORAFA	Coalition of the Radical Left	left-wing radicalism
Eleftherios SYNADINOS	Popular Association – Golden Dawn	neo-Nazism
Sotirios ZARIANOPOULOS	Communist Party of Greece	communism
Hungary
Zoltán BALCZÓ	Jobbik	radical right-wing populism
Béla KOVÁCS	Jobbik	radical right-wing populism
Krisztina MORVAI	Jobbik	radical right-wing populism
Ireland
Luke Ming FLANAGAN	Independent	Independent
Italy
Isabella ADINOLFI	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Marco AFFRONTE	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Laura AGEA	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Daniela AIUTO	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Tiziana BEGHIN	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Mara BIZZOTTO	Lega Nord	radical right-wing populism
Mario BORGHEZIO	Lega Nord	radical right-wing populism
Gianluca BUONANNO	Lega Nord	radical right-wing populism
Fabio Massimo CASTALDO	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Ignazio CORRAO	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Rosa D'AMATO	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Eleonora EVI	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Laura FERRARA	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Lorenzo FONTANA	Lega Nord	radical right-wing populism
Eleonora FORENZA	Lista Tsipras-L'Altra Europa	social democracy
Curzio MALTESE	Lista Tsipras-L'Altra Europa	social democracy
Piernicola PEDICINI	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Matteo SALVINI	Lega Nord	radical right-wing populism
Remo SERNAGIOTTO	Forza Italia	conservatism
Barbara SPINELLI	Lista Tsipras-L'Altra Europa	social democracy
Dario TAMBURRANO	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Marco VALLI	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Marco ZANNI	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Marco ZULLO	Movimento 5 Stelle	euroscepticism
Latvia
Andrejs MAMIKINS	"Saskaņa" sociāldemokrātiskā partija	social democracy
Tatjana ŽDANOKA	Latvijas Krievu savienība	social democracy
Netherlands
Dennis de JONG	Socialistische Partij	social democracy
Vicky MAEIJER	Partij voor de Vrijheid	right-wing populism
Anne-Marie MINEUR	Socialistische Partij	social democracy
Olaf STUGER	Partij voor de Vrijheid	right-wing populism
Poland
Robert Jarosław IWASZKIEWICZ	Nowa Prawica-Janusza Korwin-Mikke	euroscepticism
Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE	Nowa Prawica-Janusza Korwin-Mikke	euroscepticism
Michał MARUSIK	Nowa Prawica-Janusza Korwin-Mikke	euroscepticism
Stanisław ŻÓŁTEK	Nowa Prawica-Janusza Korwin-Mikke	euroscepticism
Portugal
João FERREIRA	Coligação Democrática Unitária	left-wing radicalism
Spain
Marina ALBIOL GUZMÁN	Izquierda Unida	communism
Javier COUSO PERMUY	Izquierda Unida	communism
Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS	Podemos	socialism
Pablo IGLESIAS	Podemos	socialism
Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO	Izquierda Unida	communism
Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY	Podemos	socialism
Estefanía TORRES MARTÍNEZ	Podemos	socialism
Miguel URBÁN CRESPO	Podemos	socialism
Ángela VALLINA	Izquierda Unida	communism
United Kingdom
William (The Earl of) DARTMOUTH	UKIP	euroscepticism
John Stuart AGNEW	UKIP	euroscepticism
Tim AKER	UKIP	euroscepticism
Jonathan ARNOTT	UKIP	euroscepticism
Janice ATKINSON	UKIP	euroscepticism
Gerard BATTEN	UKIP	euroscepticism
Louise BOURS	UKIP	euroscepticism
James CARVER	UKIP	euroscepticism
David COBURN	UKIP	euroscepticism
Jane COLLINS	UKIP	euroscepticism
Bill ETHERIDGE	UKIP	euroscepticism
Nigel FARAGE	UKIP	euroscepticism
Raymond FINCH	UKIP	euroscepticism
Nathan GILL	UKIP	euroscepticism
Roger HELMER	UKIP	euroscepticism
Mike HOOKEM	UKIP	euroscepticism
Diane JAMES	UKIP	euroscepticism
Paul NUTTALL	UKIP	euroscepticism
Patrick O'FLYNN	UKIP	euroscepticism
Julia REID	UKIP	euroscepticism
Jill SEYMOUR	UKIP	euroscepticism
Steven WOOLFE	UKIP	euroscepticism

The vote, however, has brought some surprises too.

1. Belgian MEP Gerolf ANNEMANS from the far right Vlaams Belang abstained, although he used to vote against the resolutions critical of Russia's actions.

2. MEPs from the far right Sweden Democrats party, Peter LUNDGREN and Kristina WINBERG, abstained and, thus, rebelled against their Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group that voted against the resolution.

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