EUROPEAN POLITICS OF RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION: Federica Mogheriniâ™s squad working to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda â known as the East StratCom team â has a problem. Unfortunately for Mogherini, itâ™s her. Activists, analysts, national foreign ministries and political opponents in the European Peopleâ™s Party have piled pressure on the EU foreign policy chief this week over what they say is her insufficient support for a team on the front-line of keeping democracy clean. MEP Siegfried MureÅan, a member of the budgets committee, is considering offering the team a â¬1 million grant, in part to make sure European elections do not fall victim to a Russian disinformation campaign. The funding would be a boost to a team that has been offered no discretionary budget by Mogheriniâ™s European External Action Service. Ben Nimmo, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and signatory of an open letter organized by the European Values think tank that called Mogherini âirresponsibly weakâ on the issue, told Playbook that her anti-disinformation efforts are âthe most token of token efforts. The East StratCom team is tiny.â Nimmo said the team relies on staff loaned from EU member countries and Playbook sources said much of its information gathering is carried out by volunteers in countries such as Ukraine and Georgia. In contrast, the work of most EEAS teams is funded by generous diplomatic salaries and operating budgets. Mogherini told CNNâ™s Christiane Amanpour this week that European societies have the âwisdom to make the right choicesâ in the face of Russian fake news and cyber warfare, and took credit for setting up the East StratCom team in 2015, at the request of the European Council. An EU official familiar with the groupâ™s work said, âItâ™s known that she [Mogherini] is not keen. She is considered to be soft on Russia compared to others in the Commission, or what some Eastern countries would like. Officials who work on these issues get no support from her.â Sandra Kalniete, a Latvian European Peopleâ™s Party MEP born in Siberia, told Playbook: âIn a world where Donald Trump becomes a purveyor of RT [Russia Today] disinformation, I donâ™t believe the EU can afford to save on strategic communication, information literacy and critical thinking.â MureÅan said âI am deeply disappointed at the EEASâ™ meager efforts to counter the Russian information warfare on European countries.â He said: âIt is unacceptable that our societies are under daily assault from [the] Russian propaganda machine. We cannot just keep on stating intentions and work with a understaffed unit in the EEAS when our democracies are under threat.â The next act in this political theater will be at the EPPâ™s annual congress in Malta on March 29 and 30, where the party is expected to adopt a resolution on âRussian disinformation undermining Western democracy.â The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Playbook it was a core supporter of the East StratCom team: âWe believe that the task force is doing an excellent job in exposing and explaining Russian disinformation,â it said. However, Estonia wants âmore permanent resourcesâ beginning with âpermanent staff and sustainable budget.â GREEKS, THE NEW POLES? Discussions between EU diplomats on the content of this weekendâ™s Rome Declaration have been tense, with serious debate about how much its should focus on social laws. Negotiations were nearly over when the Greeks demanded an extra clause saying all EU countries should respect the blocâ™s social and employment laws. At the other end of the spectrum, the Poles and Hungarians, ever watchful for signs of Commission meddling in their national affairs, demanded weaker language. Speculation in Brussels is that the Greek government wants more than a social EU: it wants another bargaining chip in its long-stalled bailout negotiations. SEPARATED AT BIRTH Former U.K. Chancellor George Osborne and French presidential candidate Benoît Hamon. [ozzyhamon] GAFFES AND LAUGHS MARINE LE PEN, FASHION PLATE: Christopher McGill, assistant to Syed Kamall, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, met with Marine Le Pen last week, and asked about her fashion sense. âIt was interesting interviewing Marine Le Pen for my dissertation,â he said on Facebook. âWe spoke about next monthâ™s presidential elections, the EU, and fashionâ A picture of the two of them was âlikedâ by 154 people, and accompanied by comments such as âYou lucky devil! That woman is tearing the rule book up!â and âWhat a photo!!! Magnificent. So envious. She is wonderfully brave xxx.â McGillâ™s political acumen shone through in answers to questions on his Facebook wall. Asked what Le Pen was like, McGill responded: âVery friendly but no-nonsense and sometimes hard to keep her on the question asked.â WOMEN AND WINE: Despite hanging onto the presidency of the Eurogroup by a thread, Jeroen Dijsselbloem thought it was a good idea to tell a German newspaper that âI cannot spend all my money on liquor and women and plead for your support afterwards,â in reference to debt-laden Southern EU countries. His comments were described as âshameful and shockingâ by leader of the Socialist MEPs Gianni Pittella. Awkward, given that Dijsselbloem belongs to the same political family. CZECH MATES: Itâ™s been a busy week for Czechs in the European Parliament. Dita Charanzová and Pavel Svoboda became the first Czech MEPs to co-chair a committee, the internal market committee, at a hearing Wednesday. Meanwhile, MEP and Parliament Vice President Pavel Telicka hit back at suggestions from the Czech interior minister that it would be OK to introduce limits on the free movement of labor in Europe. âThe minister spoke contrary to the Czech policy line. He based it on a very poor analysis of Brexit,â Telicka said, adding that such talk undermines the EU27 Brexit negotiating position. The minister, Milan Chovanec, argued that local media had misinterpreted his comments, saying âI just pointed out that we need to reasonably regulate the movement of labor.â Yes, minister, thatâ™s why everyone was so upset. SUITED AND BOOTED: European finance commissioner Pierre Moscovici revealed Tuesday that he had received luxury suits as a gift, just like embattled French presidential candidate Francois Fillon. Moscovici dismissed concerns about the gift, received before French rules on gifts for politicians changed in 2012. âThey are real gifts by real friends in a private setting,â said the former minister. FEUD OF THE WEEK ErdoÄan vs Europe. Turkeyâ™s President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan got personal, warning that: âIf you [Europe] continue to behave like this, tomorrow in no part of the world, no European, no Westerner will be able to take steps on the street safely and peacefully.â In response, Germanyâ™s President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, hit back: âPresident ErdoÄan, you jeopardize all that you have built with others.â [erdyeurope] QUOTE OF THE WEEK: âDemocracy took a lot away from us.â Korneliya Ninova, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, ahead of Sundayâ™s parliamentary elections. WHO’S UP BEPPE GRILLO: His 5Star Movement is polling higher than ever. EMMANUEL MACRON: With Francois Fillon floundering and Marine Le Pen backtracking, Macron is riding high and finished first in polls on how the candidates performed in Franceâ™s first presidential debate. WHO’S DOWN LODEWIJK ASSCHER: The parliamentary leader of the Dutch Labor Party was pummeled in last weekâ™s election. YULIA SAMOYLOVA: Russiaâ™s Eurovision Song Contest entrant was barred from Ukraine, this yearâ™s host, because she made an âillegalâ visit to Crimea.
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