2023 discharge: General budget of the EU - Commission

Tabled by Mariusz Kamiński, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Jadwiga Wiśniewska

Added: 186 a. Considers it unacceptable that the Commission, while dedicating substantial attention and resources to fact-checking, combating disinformation, and countering foreign interference, fails to apply the same standards of verification to its own official documents; stresses that the inclusion, in the 2023 Annual Rule of Law Report, of content defending an individual publicly identified as a Russian intelligence agent, and calling for his release, was highly damaging and undermines the credibility of the report; notes that the organisations cited by the Commission as sources in this case revised their statements and withdrew their allegations after the individual’s espionage activities were made public, whereas the Commission has so far avoided clarifying this unacceptable and damaging matter and has refrained from correcting or updating its position; calls for an urgent and thorough review of internal procedures governing information sourcing and verification, along with full transparency regarding the individuals and departments responsible for the inclusion of such content in an official Union report; emphasises the urgent need to restore institutional credibility and ensure that future Union reports do not inadvertently legitimise actors involved in hostile acts against the Union and Member States;

Wording as published by the EP, in English. PE772.532