ADR politician Fernand Kartheiser recently went too far in his proximity to Putin in the eyes of his own group in the European Parliament, the right-wing conservative ECR (European Conservatives and Reformers) party. The group’s management had written to Fernand Kartheiser to ask him for “explanations on his actions and his statements” in order to examine the matter, reported our colleagues from Luxembourg word a few days ago.
The trigger was an interview given to the Russian newspaper Izvestiasanctioned by the EU, in which Fernand Kartheiser spoke out against the EU sanctions policy in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. It is now the leadership of the ADR party which reacts for the first time to this incident.
Questioned by the Luxembourg wordAlexandra Schoos, president of the reform party Alternativ Demokratesch (ADR), said that she had not yet seen the letter from the ECR parliamentary group addressed to Mr. Fernand Kartheiser.
“We must first see what is written in it,” reassured Ms. Schoos. She has already had a first interview with Fernand Kartheiser, but has not yet read the warning letter, according to her own words. She has also not been contacted by her party colleagues about this. “It’s still very fresh,” said Alexandra Schoos, stressing that she wanted to “approach the matter objectively.” In any case, his party has no intention of leaving the ECR. “We feel very good there.”
We are for peace negotiations.
Alexandra Schoos
President of the ADR party
Asked what she thought of her party colleague’s interview, Ms Schoos replied that she wanted to make up her own mind first. Fernand Kartheiser, however, assured him that he was not aware of any error and was not acting in any way “in a pro-Russian manner”. He also reportedly stressed that he had no intention of leaving the party.
The ECR wants to participate in government in Europe
Alexandra Schoos therefore does not want to question the membership of the ADR to the ECR. For Luxembourg’s conservative-right-populist party, which is represented for the first time in the European Parliament since the European elections in June, this membership is considered a quality criterion. The ECR brings together hard-right European parties with ambitions to govern and who present themselves as reasonable forces to the right of the Christian Democratic European People’s Party (EPP). These include the Flemish N-VA, the Italian ruling Fratelli d’Italia party and the Polish PiS party.
A key difference that distinguishes the ECR from the more extreme groups in the European Parliament in terms of content is its position on the war in Ukraine: the ECR unequivocally supports Ukraine against the Russian aggressor, while the “Patriots for Europe” and the “Europe of Sovereign Nations”, of which the German AfD is also a part, show great understanding for Vladimir Putin, like Fernand Kartheiser. Significant concessions to Russia without real security guarantees for kyiv are, for example, possible for them.
Kartheiser could accommodate a change of parliamentary group
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said that the position of political groups in Parliament on the war in Ukraine was a decisive factor in having a say in Brussels under her leadership. Only “pro-European, pro-Ukrainian and pro-rule of law” parties are eligible as partners, she has repeated since the electoral campaign.
According to von der Leyen, the ECR largely meets these conditions and is therefore part of the informal coalition in Brussels, which allows the group to participate in agenda-setting there. The ECR is, however, divided on this issue: the group supported most of the European commissioners during their hearings, but voted mainly against the Commission team in the decisive vote at the end of November.
Fernand Kartheiser’s decidedly pro-Russian views and actions appear to further undermine the group’s leadership’s efforts to profile itself as a responsible political force at the EU level. The Polish members of the ECR, who set the tone within the group, are particularly bothered by Kartheiser’s positions.
The ADR MEP was clearly aware that his basic pro-Russian position could lead to conflicts with his group. Already at the end of November, he had not ruled out a change of group in an interview with radio 100.7: “If that were to change one day, because here in Europe we talk about fluctuations anyway – by the through party mergers or other forms of collaboration – I can also live with that. But I feel good within the ECR,” he declared at the time.
Kartheiser’s line is in the majority within the ADR
It is hardly surprising, however, that Kartheiser’s position on the war in Ukraine does not arouse astonishment within the ADR, because the position of the Luxembourg party actually corresponds to the views of more extreme groups within Parliament European. At the heart of this position is the demand to stop supporting Ukraine in its defensive war and at the same time push kyiv to negotiate.
Alexandra Schoos and congratulated you Luxembourg word that his party’s position on the war in Ukraine had not changed: “We are for peace negotiations. For us, dialogue has always been important. The two sides, Ukraine and Russia, need to talk to each other. She also expressed optimism about the “realistic” chances of peace when Donald Trump takes the reins of the US government in January.
“It is of course Ukraine which must first say whether it is ready to start peace talks,” concluded Alexandra Schoos, putting things into perspective.
This article was originally published on the Luxemburger Wort website. Adaptation: Mélodie Mouzon
