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2019/2982(RSP) Resolution on the Russian 'foreign agents' Law

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 144

Events

2019/12/19
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
B9-0258/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
B9-0259/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
B9-0260/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
B9-0262/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
B9-0263/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
B9-0267/2019
2019/12/19
   Joint motion for resolution
Documents
RC-B9-0258/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Russian ‘foreign agents’ law.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and ECR groups.

In July 2012, Russia adopted a law on ‘foreign agents’ requiring Russian NGOs to register with the Russian Ministry of Justice as ‘organisations performing the functions of foreign agents’ if they receive foreign funding and engage in activities vaguely described as ‘political activities’. In June 2014, the law was amended to allow the Ministry of Justice to register NGOs as ‘foreign agents’ on its own initiative. In November 2017, the scope of the law was extended to impose the use of the ‘foreign agents’ label on any foreign media directly or indirectly receiving foreign funding. The latest amendments to the law on ‘foreign agents’, which extend the status of ‘foreign agents’ to include private persons, including bloggers and independent journalists, were signed into law on 2 December 2019 by President Vladimir Putin.

The law imposes specific requirements for registration, accounting, and labelling of publications, and makes non-compliance a criminal offence, including the possibility of sanctions with heavy administrative fines or imprisonment of up to two years.

Legislative restrictions and targeted prosecutions under the law on foreign agents in Russia have taken on more repressive forms in recent months. The law on ‘foreign agents’ is part of a broader campaign to stifle dissent, opposition, and civil society across Russia.

Repealing the ‘foreign agents’ law

Parliament strongly opposes the Russian authorities’ methods of using the power of the state to suppress freedom of expression and speech and thereby instil fear in society and called on the Russian authorities to support the impartiality of media channels and to improve the safety and working environment of journalists in Russia, including by advancing their professional skills by making use of existing international programmes.

Parliament called on the Russian authorities to immediately repeal the law on ‘foreign agents’ and to bring the existing legislation into line with Russia’s constitution and its obligations under international law. Russia should stop deliberately creating an atmosphere that is hostile to civil society.

Members considered that this law and the excessive use of fines and settlements against the media, human rights organisations and civil society to be deliberately aimed at forcing them to focus their resources on paying fines and judicial defence, and thus to limit freedom of expression.

They called on the Russian authorities to establish a framework for activities of NGOs that is clear, coherent and consistent and is in line with European and international standards, in particular by using clear definitions, by avoiding the use of stigmatising language such as ‘foreign agents’ or discriminatory legal provisions related to sources of funding, and by preventing the criminal prosecution of NGOs, media and bloggers or of individual persons carrying out activities for NGOs or media.

The EU is encouraged to:

continue to closely monitor the human rights situation in the Russian Federation and to continue monitoring court cases involving civil society organisations and activists; raise the matter of the law on ‘foreign agents’ in the institutions of the Council of Europe, primarily in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE); continuously call on Russia to repeal or amend all laws incompatible with international standards;

The VP/HR is called on to:

draw up a new and comprehensive EU-Russia strategy aimed at strengthening peace and stability; use every possibility to support civil society that promotes democratic values, rule of law, fundamental freedoms and human rights in Russia and to strengthen people-to-people contacts with the citizens of Russia; raise concerns about the law on ‘foreign agents’ in their contacts, meetings and communications with Russian representatives, including at the highest levels, and asks them to report back to Parliament on their exchanges with the Russian authorities.

Documents
T9-0108/2019
2019/12/19
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

RC-B9-0258/2019 - § 13 #

2019/12/19 Outcome: +: 499, -: 78, 0: 41
DE PL ES GB RO FR NL SE CZ AT HU PT BE DK LT FI BG SK LV HR EE LU SI MT IE CY EL IT
Total
88
45
46
43
29
59
22
17
21
16
16
19
20
12
10
8
10
12
6
7
6
6
5
5
10
6
15
59
icon: PPE PPE
146

Germany PPE

26

Poland PPE

14

Spain PPE

9

Romania PPE

12

France PPE

7

Netherlands PPE

3

Sweden PPE

4

Czechia PPE

5

Austria PPE

7

Hungary PPE

8

Portugal PPE

6

Belgium PPE

4

Denmark PPE

For (1)

Pernille WEISS
1

Lithuania PPE

3

Finland PPE

2

Bulgaria PPE

5

Slovakia PPE

4

Latvia PPE

For (1)

Sandra KALNIETE
1

Croatia PPE

For (1)

Željana ZOVKO
1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Slovenia PPE

3

Malta PPE

2

Ireland PPE

4

Cyprus PPE

2

Greece PPE

6

Italy PPE

5
icon: S&D S&D
134

Germany S&D

Abstain (1)

Norbert NEUSER
14

Poland S&D

6

Spain S&D

20

United Kingdom S&D

10

Romania S&D

9

France S&D

3

Netherlands S&D

5

Sweden S&D

5

Austria S&D

4

Hungary S&D

5

Portugal S&D

9

Belgium S&D

2

Denmark S&D

3

Lithuania S&D

2

Finland S&D

1

Slovakia S&D

For (1)

Monika BEŇOVÁ

Abstain (1)

Miroslav ČÍŽ
2

Latvia S&D

2

Croatia S&D

3

Estonia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

Marc ANGEL
1

Slovenia S&D

2

Malta S&D

3

Cyprus S&D

2

Greece S&D

2

Italy S&D

17
icon: Renew Renew
98

Germany Renew

7

Spain Renew

8

United Kingdom Renew

14

Romania Renew

8

France Renew

18

Netherlands Renew

6

Sweden Renew

3

Czechia Renew

6

Austria Renew

For (1)

Claudia GAMON
1

Hungary Renew

2

Belgium Renew

4

Denmark Renew

4

Lithuania Renew

Abstain (1)

Viktor USPASKICH
2

Finland Renew

2

Bulgaria Renew

3

Slovakia Renew

2

Latvia Renew

For (1)

Ivars IJABS
1

Croatia Renew

For (1)

Valter FLEGO
1

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Ireland Renew

For (1)

Billy KELLEHER
1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
65

Germany Verts/ALE

24

Spain Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

6

France Verts/ALE

12

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

2

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

For (1)

Monika VANA
1

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

Ville NIINISTÖ
1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

Tilly METZ
1

Ireland Verts/ALE

2
icon: ECR ECR
57

Germany ECR

For (1)

Helmut GEUKING
1

Poland ECR

25

Spain ECR

3

United Kingdom ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

4

Sweden ECR

2

Czechia ECR

4

Belgium ECR

3

Lithuania ECR

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

2

Latvia ECR

2

Croatia ECR

For (1)

Ruža TOMAŠIĆ
1

Italy ECR

For (1)

Pietro FIOCCHI
5
icon: NI NI
28

Germany NI

Against (1)

Martin SONNEBORN
1

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Matthew PATTEN
11

Hungary NI

1

Slovakia NI

2

Croatia NI

Abstain (1)

Ivan Vilibor SINČIĆ
1

Greece NI

4

Italy NI

8
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

Germany GUE/NGL

5

Spain GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

Pernando BARRENA ARZA
4

France GUE/NGL

5

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

Anja HAZEKAMP
1

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

Malin BJÖRK
1

Czechia GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

Kateřina KONEČNÁ
1

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Belgium GUE/NGL

Against (1)

Marc BOTENGA
1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

Silvia MODIG
1

Ireland GUE/NGL

3

Cyprus GUE/NGL

Against (1)

Giorgos GEORGIOU

Abstain (1)

Niyazi KIZILYÜREK
2

Greece GUE/NGL

3
icon: ID ID
59

Germany ID

10

France ID

14

Czechia ID

Against (2)

Hynek BLAŠKO, Ivan DAVID
2

Austria ID

3

Belgium ID

3

Denmark ID

For (1)

Peter KOFOD
1

Finland ID

1

Estonia ID

For (1)

Jaak MADISON
1

Italy ID

24

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

2021-12-18Show (9) Changes | Timetravel
docs/0/docs/0/url
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events/0
date
2019-12-19T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2019-0108_EN.html title: T9-0108/2019
summary
events/0
date
2019-12-19T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2019-0108_EN.html title: T9-0108/2019
summary
2020-01-19Show (2) Changes
docs/6
date
2019-12-19T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2019-0108_EN.html title: T9-0108/2019
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/0/summary
  • The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Russian ‘foreign agents’ law.
  • The text adopted in plenary was tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and ECR groups.
  • In July 2012, Russia adopted a law on ‘foreign agents’ requiring Russian NGOs to register with the Russian Ministry of Justice as ‘organisations performing the functions of foreign agents’ if they receive foreign funding and engage in activities vaguely described as ‘political activities’. In June 2014, the law was amended to allow the Ministry of Justice to register NGOs as ‘foreign agents’ on its own initiative. In November 2017, the scope of the law was extended to impose the use of the ‘foreign agents’ label on any foreign media directly or indirectly receiving foreign funding. The latest amendments to the law on ‘foreign agents’, which extend the status of ‘foreign agents’ to include private persons, including bloggers and independent journalists, were signed into law on 2 December 2019 by President Vladimir Putin.
  • The law imposes specific requirements for registration, accounting, and labelling of publications, and makes non-compliance a criminal offence, including the possibility of sanctions with heavy administrative fines or imprisonment of up to two years.
  • Legislative restrictions and targeted prosecutions under the law on foreign agents in Russia have taken on more repressive forms in recent months. The law on ‘foreign agents’ is part of a broader campaign to stifle dissent, opposition, and civil society across Russia.
  • Repealing the ‘foreign agents’ law
  • Parliament strongly opposes the Russian authorities’ methods of using the power of the state to suppress freedom of expression and speech and thereby instil fear in society and called on the Russian authorities to support the impartiality of media channels and to improve the safety and working environment of journalists in Russia, including by advancing their professional skills by making use of existing international programmes.
  • Parliament called on the Russian authorities to immediately repeal the law on ‘foreign agents’ and to bring the existing legislation into line with Russia’s constitution and its obligations under international law. Russia should stop deliberately creating an atmosphere that is hostile to civil society.
  • Members considered that this law and the excessive use of fines and settlements against the media, human rights organisations and civil society to be deliberately aimed at forcing them to focus their resources on paying fines and judicial defence, and thus to limit freedom of expression.
  • They called on the Russian authorities to establish a framework for activities of NGOs that is clear, coherent and consistent and is in line with European and international standards, in particular by using clear definitions, by avoiding the use of stigmatising language such as ‘foreign agents’ or discriminatory legal provisions related to sources of funding, and by preventing the criminal prosecution of NGOs, media and bloggers or of individual persons carrying out activities for NGOs or media.
  • The EU is encouraged to:
  • continue to closely monitor the human rights situation in the Russian Federation and to continue monitoring court cases involving civil society organisations and activists; raise the matter of the law on ‘foreign agents’ in the institutions of the Council of Europe, primarily in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE); continuously call on Russia to repeal or amend all laws incompatible with international standards;
  • The VP/HR is called on to:
  • draw up a new and comprehensive EU-Russia strategy aimed at strengthening peace and stability; use every possibility to support civil society that promotes democratic values, rule of law, fundamental freedoms and human rights in Russia and to strengthen people-to-people contacts with the citizens of Russia; raise concerns about the law on ‘foreign agents’ in their contacts, meetings and communications with Russian representatives, including at the highest levels, and asks them to report back to Parliament on their exchanges with the Russian authorities.
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