Once again, the European Parliament is hit by a corruption scandal. Dozens of private residences have been searched across several member states, offices within the European Parliament have been sealed and investigated, and MEPs and their assistants are implicated. Our MEP, Mary Khan, a member of the JURI Committee, stated:
"For the ESN Group, this comes as no surprise. Corruption is not an 'incident'; it is a core element of how the European Parliament operates.
The root of the problem lies in the EP-Bureau, where decisions are made—without any public transparency—regarding the European Parliament's staggering annual budget of 2 billion euros. Elected MEPs from ESN and Patriots have been deliberately excluded from this process.
Millions are wasted on shady real estate projects worldwide, including the purchase and rental of excessively expensive and unnecessary properties in Paris, London, and Washington, with recently planned acquisitions even in Kyiv and Moldova."
The lifting of immunity for the MEPs implicated in this latest corruption scandal will be handled by the JURI Committee. Recently, left-wing MEPs used procedural tricks to delay the removal of immunity for Italian communist MEP Ilaria Salis, who is being prosecuted in Hungary for Antifa-related terrorist attacks. Mary Khan has already warned against similar procedural maneuvers:
"We will not tolerate any further attempts by MEPs in JURI to delay the lifting of immunity for those involved in this corruption scandal. Their immunity must be revoked immediately, without delay, so that justice can take its proper course."
The Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu is no longer allowed to run in the Romanian elections. This decision was made by the central electoral office in Bucharest. Georgescu had unexpectedly won the first round of the presidential elections in November 2024. Shortly before the runoff election, the Constitutional Court annulled the first round.
AfD Member of the European Parliament Petr Bystron commented:
"The EU country Romania is swiftly abolishing democracy and is receiving support from Brussels. The annulment of the first election alone is a blatant scandal and a disgrace for the country. In the new elections, Georgescu would have likely won even more decisively – which is why they are now trying to prevent him from running altogether.
Additionally, there is an effort to damage Georgescu by all means: absurd accusations from the press and the judiciary, arrests, and the undermining of free elections.
What is happening in Romania is a disgrace for the EU – which is not only watching with a smile but also actively pulling the strings in the background. The EU is revealing its true face: While violent demonstrators are being supported against the legitimately elected government in Georgia, an attempted coup is underway in Romania.
The final decision of the Constitutional Court is still pending on Wednesday – a court that already annulled the first election on flimsy grounds. The AfD delegation strongly condemns the developments in Romania. Our political vision is a free and sovereign Europe of nations, in which the will of the people is respected."
The German EU MP of the ESN faction, Markus Buchheit (AfD), responds to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to postpone the tightening of CO₂ fleet limits:
"The increasingly rigid fleet limits for car manufacturers are making the production of internal combustion engine vehicles ever more unprofitable. This is equivalent to a de facto ban on combustion engines. To keep our automotive industry internationally competitive, we do not just need a postponement of the tightening of fleet limits, but an end to them altogether."
Buchheit sees the fleet limits and the ban on new registrations of internal combustion engine vehicles in the EU from 2035 as primarily an ideologically driven attack on individual mobility – to the detriment of citizens' prosperity and freedom.
"The European automotive industry is falling further and further behind manufacturers, particularly from China. The main reason for this is, among other things, the absurd political coercion and the ever-increasing politically induced disadvantages of location. However, European prosperity depends significantly on the performance of the European automotive industry. With these overreaching regulations, the EU is ultimately sawing off the very branch it is sitting on," Buchheit concludes.
At a government summit in London, Ursula von der Leyen called for a "massive armament" of Ukraine. To achieve this, the EU must increase defense investments over an extended period. This means that further billions will flow into Ukraine’s war preparations.
In response, Alexander Sell, MP of the ESN faction, stated:
"This EU still has not understood the signs of the times. In Europe, citizens long for peace and stability. Von der Leyen's warlike stance is completely detached from the interests of the people in Ukraine and Europe.
While the United States is engaging in dialogue with Russia and has taken a seat at the negotiating table, the EU Commission—especially under the leadership of German Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—is calling for a continuation of the bloodshed in the East.
This war must finally come to an end. It is unacceptable that this conflict is being prolonged with multi-billion aid packages at the expense of European taxpayers, while the people on the ground continue to be used as pawns in the game of international powers.
Since its founding, the ESN faction has been advocating for peace in Europe and an end to the senseless bloodshed in Ukraine. Diplomatic relations must remain possible in all directions, even in times of crisis. Closing one’s eyes to reality and hoping for Ukraine’s victory is not only dangerous but is playing with fire, risking a Third World War."
Brussels/Bucharest, February 26, 2025 – Romanian election winner Călin Georgescu has been arrested, and his election annulled. Under the flimsy pretext of "Russian influence," the EU and Romanian authorities have launched an unprecedented political persecution. Supporters are being intimidated, homes searched, and lawyers prevented from doing their jobs. A fair trial is unthinkable under such conditions.
"The EU has lost all credibility. It is sliding further and further into authoritarianism. Now the Eurocrats are showing their true face: elections are annulled, opposition figures imprisoned – democracy is being trampled on!" criticizes Petr Bystron.
Bystron demands the immediate release of Călin Georgescu and an end to political repression. "The EU must return to democracy. Those who abolish fundamental rights and free elections do not stand for European values but for dictatorship."
LIBE-committee with ESN Group votes down the left-wing political ‘guidelines’ for the 2026 EU-budget
The members of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) met on Tuesday February 18 in Brussels.
The members of the Committee were due to vote on a report, drafted by Andrzej Halicki (PPE, Poland), giving the political guidelines to the European Commission for the spending of the huge 2026 EU-budget.
These guidelines are usually approved by the majority, and disapproved by the opposition. However, in a remarkable outcome, the draft report only got 25 votes in favour, with a clear 37 against and 5 abstentions.
With this vote, the so-called ‘old majority’ in the European Parliament lies in shatters.
The ESN MEPs opposed this draft report for several reasons:
• The report calls for continued ‘direct funding to civil society organisations’, while NGOs receive €1.7 billion in European funding every year, and this funding has led to massive corruption scandals;
• The report wants to increase the Union’s support ‘to counter hate speech’, while Europe needs more freedom of speech;
• The report asked to ‘fight the spread of disinformation at a large scale and develop more effective countermeasures’, while this is a pretext for unacceptable censorship against dissident voices and opinions.
The votes of the ESN Group, represented by MEPs Ewa ZAJACZKOWSKA (Konfederacja, Poland), Mary KHAN (AfD, Germany) and Petar VOLGIN (Revival party, Bulgaria) were again crucial in making this strong signal for freedom of speech and a clear stance against mass immigration.
Washington,
February 24, 2025
CPAC 2025 - An ESN delegation visited the Conservative Congress in Washington
Every year since 1974, the Americans have organised a major gathering of conservatives from all over the world. Once again this year, a large number of prominent figures attended the event, in the context of the recent election of Donald Trump. The ESN Group in the European Parliament naturally attended the event and sent a delegation.
Members of the European Parliament from the ESN group were able to listen to President Donald Trump and other high-level speakers. The convention showed that the members of the ESN group share many of the same values as conservatives and patriots from around the world:
People's freedom. A wind of freedom is blowing through Western democracies and the ESN Group fully shares this democratic aspiration. They support messages addressed to the convention by Elon Musk and US Vice-President JD Vance. Both underlined the dangers to freedom of expression in European democracies, which was welcomed by the ESN Group.
The sovereignty of nations. The values of independence, autonomy and sovereignty of nations were also widely reiterated at CPAC. Nigel Farage called on the various nations to remain free and sovereign.
The need to install capable and effective governments. The MEPs of the ESN Group were also able to appreciate the examples set by the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who have succeeded, in their respective countries, in obtaining rapid results that have been acclaimed by their populations.
The will to secure the borders. Finally, the ESN delegation at CPAC listened attentively to new Border Czar of the American administration, Mr Tom Homan, who has achieved spectacular results in 4 weeks, with a 95% drop in illegal entries into the United States.
The MEPs of the ESN Group in the European Parliament came back from this event strengthened in their fight to serve their sovereign nations.
The EU secretly funneled €132.82 million to media outlets across Europe to influence the 2024 European elections, as revealed by Il Fatto Quotidiano on February 11, 2025!
Top officials Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola, with support from the EU Council, used a framework contract with Havas Media France (Vivendi Group) to distribute funds while keeping recipients and amounts hidden. No transparency, no accountability – just taxpayer money buying EU-friendly news coverage!
Major media like Rai, Mediaset, Sky, Corriere della Sera, and Repubblica were PAID for favorable articles about Brussels. Is this journalism or propaganda?
EU institutions don’t sell products, so why hire an ad agency if not to manipulate the narrative? Democracy demands transparency, not hidden payments to the press!
ESN will demand in the European Parliament full disclosure of all media that benefited from this, and a full investigation to this unprecedented illegal manipulation of the European elections by the EU itself.
This blatant manipulation of public opinion using public funds is a disgrace. Full story by Il Fatto Quotidiano: https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/.../ben-130.../7872331/..”
The process to revoke the immunity of Italian MEP Ilaria Salis has begun. Today, the left-wing MEP must justify herself before the JURI Committee of the European Parliament regarding violent attacks in Hungary. The resulting report will determine the next steps in the procedure. Salis, elected for the Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra after a lengthy detention in Hungary, is accused of severe hammer attacks on civilians in Hungary.
Mary Khan, MEP of the ESN Group, stated:
“At the time, the video of the hammer attacks on Hungarian civilians shocked all of Europe. We are witnessing a worrying escalation of left-wing violence in many countries. It is even more outrageous when left-wing parties undermine the rule of law by abusing parliamentary immunity to set offenders free. Viktor Orbán is right to demand the revocation of Ilaria Salis' immunity – we support this demand.
Only through decisive action can we prevent political interests from undermining the rule of law and endangering the safety and freedom of our society. Ilaria Salis belongs in prison, not in Parliament.”
Brussels – AfD Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Petr Bystron is calling for an immediate investigation into the activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the European Union. The background to this demand is allegations that USAID sought to influence the 2024 European elections through disinformation campaigns in several EU countries. These allegations are based on revelations by Elon Musk and Donald Trump regarding illegal practices within USAID.
"Trump has done fantastic groundwork; now we must also quickly and comprehensively uncover illegal election interference by foreign states in Europe," said Bystron. He stated that there is a strong suspicion that foreign influence has massively manipulated the composition of the EU Parliament. "The EU must relentlessly combat all forms of hybrid warfare, foreign propaganda, and disinformation."
Bystron criticized the fact that USAID-funded media had deliberately targeted opposition forces. "Our democracy must be protected from foreign influences," said the AfD politician. He argued that it is the responsibility of European institutions to investigate these manipulations and ensure the security of future elections.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is currently facing criticism for allegedly using intelligence funds to influence elections and carry out regime changes worldwide. U.S. President Donald Trump has therefore drastically cut USAID’s budget and placed all employees on leave as of February 7.
Last Wednesday, the ESN Group awarded Tamara Lich with the "Women Fighting for Freedom" prize. Tamara Lich is a Canadian political activist and one of the main organizers of the so-called "Freedom Convoy" in 2022. This protest began as a movement by truck drivers against COVID-19 vaccination mandates and expanded into a broader protest against government measures and restrictions. The AfD Member of the European Parliament in the ESN Group, Christine Anderson, commented:
"It was a great honor for our Group to welcome Mrs. Lich as a guest in Strasbourg and later award her. Tamara Lich embodies the fight against an overbearing state and for the freedom of its citizens like no one else. Even after facing the harshest sanctions from the Canadian government and being arrested during the protests in Ottawa, Tamara Lich did not let herself be intimidated. 'They picked the wrong woman,' says Tamara Lich herself, defiantly. Her courage and commitment are an inspiration to us all."
Carola Rackete loses court case against AfD-Delegation
Carola Rackete, the german Left Party’s top candidate for the European elections, has lost a legal battle against the AfD delegation in the European Parliament at the Berlin Regional Court. Rackete had sued the delegation, seeking to prevent being referred to as a “smuggler.” However, the former captain of the "Sea-Watch" has now lost in court, which ruled that "a certain factual connection" to the term cannot be denied. Markus Buchheit, a Member of the European Parliament from the AfD delegation, commented: "What the AfD has repeatedly emphasized and made public is now legally confirmed. Carola Rackete may be referred to as a smuggler. The activities of so-called sea rescuers cannot be described otherwise. Those who lure refugees into the Mediterranean off the North African coast and then bring them to Europe like a prearranged shuttle service are smugglers! We will do everything in our power to put an end to this criminal activity!"
On migration, the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group stands for a strict and restrictive migration policy. ESN opposes the centralisation of migration policy by the European Union and believes that responsibility for migration and border management should lie entirely with individual member states. ESN opposes the European redistribution mechanism for refugees and migrants as we believe it undermines the sovereignty of countries and forces us to take in migrants against our will.
ESN sees large-scale migration as a risk to national security, culture and social cohesion and calls for strict border controls and effective protection of Europe's external borders. Furthermore, the group stresses the importance of return policies, whereby migrants without the right of residence are swiftly sent back to their countries of origin. ESN also strongly opposes legal migration programmes at European level and believes that each member state should be able to decide for itself who can or cannot enter its borders.