EU officials concerned German AfD MPs may be leaking classified documents to Russia – Politico

EU diplomats have warned that, due to the peculiarities of the German system, classified European Union documents may be accessible to Russia through leaks from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Source: Politico, as reported by European Pravda

Details: German MPs, including those from the far-right AfD, have access to a database containing thousands of EU files. These include confidential notes from ambassadors' meetings at which diplomats discuss their countries' positions on geopolitical issues, such as plans to fund Ukraine using frozen Russian assets.

"The problem is that we have a party, the AfD, of which there are justified suspicions of information leaking to China or Russia," said Green MP Anton Hofreiter, chair of the Bundestag committee on EU affairs.

These concerns are affecting how sensitive negotiations are conducted, as diplomats are increasingly factoring in the risk of exposure.

"We're taking all kinds of precautions in Brussels to protect sensitive meetings and information," said one EU diplomat. But the access AfD MPs have to confidential materials "leaves a giant, Putin-shaped hole in our security measures".

"We're all careful about sharing sensitive information in a format with 27 EU member states. Whether because of Orbán or because of the German system …we don't freely share all information as you would among your closest confidants in a setting with 27 member states around the table," said another diplomat.

"An ambassador cannot guarantee that any sensitive things he says in Coreper [the EU ambassadors' format] are not going straight to the Russians or China," he continued.

The diplomats who spoke to the outlet said they were unaware of these concerns having been raised in any official capacity. One diplomat noted that there are many conversations on the sidelines of meetings about such concerns, particularly among countries in north-western Europe.

AfD denies passing information from the system to Russia or China.

In contrast to other national parliaments, all MPs and their assistants in the German Bundestag have access to EuDoX – a database containing thousands of EU files, ranging from briefings at ministerial summits to summaries of confidential ambassadors' meetings. The system was created as a safeguard against unaccountable executive power, a concern of particular sensitivity in Germany due to its Nazi past.

Around 25,000 documents per year are entered into the system by a dedicated Bundestag unit, which receives it from the government. The database contains documents classified as "restricted", having the lowest level of classified information.

Experts also noted that the government is completely aware that lots of people have access to the system, creating the potential for information leaks.

"The AfD's apparent closeness to Putin, the contacts between numerous AfD lawmakers and the Russian embassy, their trips to Moscow, their adoption of Russian propaganda narratives, and their deliberate attempts to obtain security-related information through parliamentary inquiries are causing sleepless nights for all those who care deeply about the country's security," said Roland Theis, an MP from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives on the Bundestag committee on EU affairs.

Centrist MPs believe that AfD politicians are publishing information that may be of interest to the Russian secret service. This relates to governmental data on local drone defence systems, the supply of Western weaponry to Ukraine, and the authorities' awareness of Russia's sabotage and hybrid activities in the Baltic Sea region.

Background:

• The Washington Post previously reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly provided Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov with "live reports on what was being discussed" at EU meetings, as well as information on possible decisions.
• Reports have also emerged that the EU is excluding Hungary from sensitive negotiations over concerns about leaks to Russia.
• Meanwhile, the Hungarian opposition party Tisza has promised that, if it wins the election, it will "immediately investigate Péter Szijjártó's ties with Russia".

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