Brussels bent on imposing European superstate
Hungary's neighbour sounds alarm bells.
The report „Our Common Security: Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness” recently put out by former Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has received much backlash in European political circles. This document was commissioned by Ursula von der Leyen, and is considered by many to be a manual for moves towards centralisation, while ignoring the democratic systems of member states, said Petra Steger, a member of the European Parliament for the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO).
According to the right-wing politician, one of the most worrying parts of the report are the plans for the establishment of a full-fledged EU secret service agency.
„The creation of such an organisation would represent an unprecedented infringement on the sovereignty of nation states and on the basic rights of citizens. Secret services are sensitive institutions that require democratic oversight and must be under the direct supervision of national parliaments. The establishment of an EU secret service would undermine this control and place a tool of power in the hands of the Brussels bureaucracy, which is quite distant from having democratic legitimacy,”
said Petra Steger, who says that Sauli Niinisto, who was previously the president of neutral Finland, is now urging the EU to develop closer cooperation with NATO. The report calls for the harmonization of defense policies and a common risk assessment, which would inevitably lead to alignment with NATO structures. This could undermine Austrian neutrality and plunge the country into dangerous conflicts.
The report’s analysis on the effects of attacks on EU and NATO member states raises a particularly sensitive question. They openly speculate about the need for close NATO coordination in the event of an „Article 5 scenario”, which would lead to the activation of the alliance obligation. This obligation could also extend to EU countries that are not NATO members, such as neutral Austria. Such thinking indicates how far the Union has already moved away from its peacemaking roots. The EU cannot become a military bloc,
the Austrian MEP added.
Niinisto argues that such comprehensive ideas and proposals on internal and external security are needed because he sees Russia and President Vladimir Putin as a threat. In this context, Petra Steger noted that the Finnish politician far over-emphasizes the role of Russia and the threat posed by the Russians.
„The report puts a one-sided focus on Russian threats, while underestimating or ignoring other sources of danger, such as Islamist terrorism or uncontrollable mass migration. This shows that the authors and clients of the report are not interested in an objective analysis of the security situation, but in pushing through their ideological agenda,”
Steger tressed. The report also prioritises the ‘fight against disinformation’. According to the Austrian politician, they want to create a monitoring apparatus capable of restricting freedom of speech, with various educational programs and campaigns to prepare citizens against suspected disinformation campaigns. With this, they can delegitimise and discredit criticism of idecisions by claiming that this criticism is the content of a planned foreign disinformation campaign.
In all its aspects, the report by Sauli Niinisto is a dangerous document that undermines the freedom and sovereignty of European nations. The European Union must respect the independence of its member states, guarantee peace and freedom, and must not transform into a superstate that monitors its citizens, censors them and plunges them into foreign conflicts, the MEP of the Austrian Freedom Party underlined.