MEP Sophie in ‘t Veldová is not a member of the largest political parties in Europe, but she is a prominent figure in Brussels and Strasbourg. The Politico server even included her among the 21 MEPs to watch in the new parliament, if they get there.
It is she who often advocates compliance with the rules of the rule of law, criticizes governments for abusing the Pegasus spy software, and strives for the greatest possible help to the attacked Ukraine. According to Politika, he has “a reputation as one of the most vocal advocates of transparency”.
The Dutch woman, who has been living in Belgium for a long time, also opposes the Czech ANO movement, with which she sits in the same parliamentary faction.
“When I was a member of ALDE a year ago, I submitted a resolution calling for the expulsion of Mr. Babiš. It was approved by a large majority. If you look at his statements, it is clear why a delegation was sent to the Czech Republic to find out if his values are still in line with the liberal ones. The obvious answer to that is: No. He is not a liberal, he should not be in the liberal faction,” he says in an exclusive interview for Seznam Zprávy.
You have been sitting in the European Parliament for twenty years. How has he changed during that time?
Everything has changed. When I arrived in Brussels in 1994, we had 12 member states. I saw how another 16 joined, one left, I experienced the Treaty of Lisbon… The powers of the European Parliament and the relations between individual institutions have changed dramatically, and I’m not even mentioning all the political events we’ve experienced here, especially in the last five years.
Although you are a Dutch citizen, you are running for the European Parliament in neighboring Belgium. Why did you leave the D66 party and join the pan-European Volt movement?
I have lived in Belgium for 30 years and the territory where I work is the whole of Europe. I travel to a number of Member States and observe how they are developing. I feel like a real European. I left my home side for many reasons, but after thirty years it was difficult, the side is like your family and home. However, there were political differences and a different view of dealing with people and values.
So I was looking for a new political family, and I was interested in Volt from the beginning, even though I couldn’t be a member at the time. I have been a member of the movement for ten months now, and what I did not expect and is a pleasant surprise for me is that, although on paper it has the same structure as other European political parties, it differs in that it was created in a different way and resembles a community, which I like
It is a very young party, young people founded it, but it is not only for them. The Volt was created seven years ago on the same day that Britain’s departure from the European Union was officially announced. And that is the answer to the nationalist populism that is tearing the EU apart.
According to polls, it seems that the next parliament will have many more anti-European and far-right politicians than before…
Anti-European parties have now quieted down with their demands to leave the EU, but they are trying to dismantle the Union from within. If you look at the current state of the world, you will easily understand that our security, freedom and way of life depend entirely on the existence of a strong European Union. During the 30 years that I have been here, I have often heard that the EU is at a crossroads.
There have been many crossroads before, but this time it applies, especially taking into account our attitude towards Ukraine.
I think Europe has to decide – do we want a future in the European Union or do we want to become a weak and irrelevant part of the world that is still afraid of (Vladimir) Putin? Now Europe has an opportunity to take a big step forward if we give Ukraine everything it needs and allow it and other countries to join the EU as soon as possible.
We work hard here, we don’t want refugees with iPhones
Read the report from the most right-wing city in the Netherlands:
But the national leaders of the Assembly in the European Council hesitate and talk about sovereignty. But is national sovereignty worth it when you face Putin, the coronavirus, climate change? What does national sovereignty actually mean? National politicians are worried about their little kingdoms and that they will have to give up power. This is worrying because it is they who have to decide on the reform of the European Union. And they are not interested in her.
Convinced Europeans usually go to the liberal Renew faction in the European Parliament or to the Greens. Where will you go if elected?
First I have to be elected, then we’ll see. In my ideal scenario, a progressive, liberal and climate-conscious group will emerge in the middle of the political spectrum. There is no such group now – we have the Greens, with whom I agree on about 80 percent of the questions, but they tend to be a bit dogmatic. Then there are the liberals, where we have been a member for the past 30 years and like-minded politicians sit there.
But then there are other parties, such as Czech ANO, which is anything but liberal. I think that ANO and especially Mr. (Andrej) Babiš have no business in a liberal family. And there are a few others like that. They are conservative, Eurosceptic, populist… Therefore, I think that the political composition should be rearranged and in the center we should have a progressive and liberal faction, then there should be a right-wing and conservative faction and a socialist, left-wing faction. I think that would benefit politics.
You mentioned YES. Last September, a delegation from the Renew faction was in the Czech Republic to find out if ANO is still in line with the group’s values. Do you have information on how this proceeding is proceeding?
I am a member of the liberal group, but I am no longer a member of the ALDE political party. And as far as I know, Babiš is still a member. When I was a member of ALDE a year ago, I submitted a resolution calling for the expulsion of Mr. Babiš. It was approved by a large majority. If you look at his statements, it is clear why a delegation was sent to the Czech Republic to find out if his values are still in line with the liberal ones. The obvious answer to that is: No. He is not a liberal, he should not be in the liberal faction.
You are known as a sharp critic of the state of the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. Now it seems that Slovakia is heading in the same direction. How do you explain that these political forces win elections in Europe?
It’s not just Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. I would start with Malta, where a journalist was murdered, we are also monitoring Greece, where a journalist was also murdered, and other countries. Some people say it’s an Eastern European problem, but I disagree – look at the election results in the Netherlands. He is not even a European problem, just look at who can be the next American president. It is a global problem facing western democracies that seem incapable of reform, people are afraid, they feel in danger… and then there is a new generation that no longer remembers dictatorships. He remembers Europe only as a continent of peace, stability and democracy.
I am 60 years old, and for my generation, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a crucial event that changed everything. I don’t like the term EU enlargement, for me it was the reunification of the continent.
Perhaps we have forgotten to fight for democracy, freedom and the rule of law. I hope we don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over again. But positive things also happened. Ten years ago, the rule of law was not an issue in the European Union – it existed on paper and in treaties, but no one cared about it and it was considered a purely national matter. But that has changed like night and day, and now the rule of law is at the top of the political agenda. Positive developments are also taking place in some countries, for example in Poland. Even in Turkey, even though it is not an EU country, the results of the latest elections look promising.
How Rotterdam will deal with migration
A report from a Dutch port where refugees are being placed on boats due to a lack of housing:
In short, democracy and the rule of law always require maintenance. But there is always hope, things change. People are desperate and it’s not hard to see why when you look at the threats we face – the rise of authoritarianism, kleptocrats, war, climate change, unmanageable migration, inflation, covid and perhaps the worst of all would be Trump’s return to the White House . But if you want hope and strength, look back at what we’ve come from, what we’ve been able to do since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
We just need a little self-confidence, trust in Europe and democracy. But at the same time, we should realize that we have a new role in the world and that if we want to keep our way of life, we have to take on that new role. Instead of irrelevant debates about culture wars and woke culture, we should focus on the economy and become a geopolitical power. This means, among other things, joining the defense union, which is much talked about, but is more or less limited to the defense industry. That’s fine, but it can’t be narrowed down like that.
In your opinion, will the new composition of the European Parliament with more populist and Eurosceptic MPs have an effect on the support for Ukraine attacked by Russia?
We already have a significant share of populists in the European Parliament. But surveys can also be wrong. In addition, the populists are not united and are not able to cooperate. I am more concerned that the European People’s Party, which under the leadership of Manfred Weber and Ursula von der Leyen has moved more to the right, will copy the discourse and ideas of the extreme right. They want to bring voters back as if they were someone’s property.
No, you have to convince them with your own opinions. A coalition between the People’s Party and the Socialists has always functioned in the European Parliament. Yes, it wasn’t always the best because they felt a bit untouchable. We need a large central group that would ensure stability, both at the level of the European Parliament and in national parliaments.
Let’s go back to Hungary. The foreign minister there regularly meets with representatives of countries such as Russia and Iran, and the government often blocks EU aid to Ukraine. How would you solve it, is it enough to cut Budapest off from money?
Yes, that helps and it is clear that Viktor Orbán is listening. Mrs. von der Leyen made a very stupid mistake when she decided to pay 10 billion euros to Hungary just like that. But we have to realize that there are many people like him in Europe.
He is the most vocal and uses the power of veto in a brutal way, but he is not alone. The others speak more softly and behave better, but they do the same thing. They justify this by representing national interests. But that is not true, they only represent their own interests. And why is Orbán so powerful? That’s simple: because he has veto power. If he didn’t have it, he would be nobody. The veto is stupid, it has never made the life of even a single EU citizen better. It should be removed.
In the European Parliament, you have also focused on the fight against Pegasus spy software in recent years. How do you rate this fight, have we moved forward?
In terms of legislation, no. Nothing happened because national governments and the European Commission that serves them refused to act. This is because governments depend on it. I’m not saying all governments abuse it, but they like having it available. The business makes money with it… But we collected a huge amount of information and showed many scandals that show how much of a danger spyware poses to democracy.
