EU fires interpreter for note-taking breach during summit with Zelenskyy

The European Commission has dismissed an interpreter hired by the European Union to attend major summits alongside world leaders over concerns about a possible breach of security rules. The interpreter was a freelancer recruited to help EU leaders communicate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Source: European Pravda, citing Politico, a Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation

Details: The European Commission noted that it had taken action in connection with a note-taking incident during the European Council meeting on 19 December 2024, which was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The European Commission’s code of conduct prohibits taking written notes during closed meetings where defence and security issues are discussed.

These rules were introduced in response to fears of possible espionage and accidental transmission of information to hostile states, such as Russia.

Quote from European Commission: "The notes were immediately confiscated. After careful consideration of the facts, the Commission took appropriate measures to prevent this incident from recurring. In this particular case, it has been decided that the services of the interpreter in question will no longer be used in the future."

French newspaper Le Monde, which first reported the incident, notes that the interpreter was a freelancer recruited to help EU leaders communicate with Zelenskyy.

Background: 

• In recent years, several espionage allegations have been investigated in the EU. Last year, employees of the European Commission were warned about a "real" threat from foreign agents.
• The European Parliament imposed sanctions on former Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka last year after suspicions that she worked for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

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