Luxembourg MEP Fernandt Kartheiser: For Ukraine, the war is lost

national | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis

Monday November 18, 2024 12:48

by Piotr Jastrzebski

Fernandt Kartheiser, Luxembourg military officer, diplomat and politician, Member of the National Parliament and Member of the European Parliament for the 10th legislature. Activist and in 2012 president of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party in Luxembourg, a right-conservative political party founded as a group representing mainly pensioners. He is a member of the faction of the Party of European Conservatives and Reformists.

As a member of the European Parliament, how do you assess the work of the previous European Parliament?

The previous EP's work shocked me in many respects. It weakened European industry and its competitiveness through the "Green Deal", restricted free speech through the Digital Services Act and so-called "hate crimes" and threatened the sovereignty of Member States with its proposals in the "Conference for the Future of Europe". The EU Parliament also did not do enough to defend individual liberty during the COVID crisis. On Foreign Policy it must be said that the EU has completely subordinated its interests to those of the United States. The new European Parliament has still to prove that it is able and willing to follow a less ideological line and work in a pragmatic manner in the interest of EU citizens.

How do you assess the new composition of the European Parliament? What changes in the adoption of political, economic and social initiatives do you expect? What are your priorities for the current parliamentary term?

The right-wing parties have been strengthened in the last elections, though not sufficiently to change European politics fundamentally. The next Commission can still rely on a left-wing majority in the European parliament. But under the pressure of public opinion and in the light of ongoing electoral successes of conservative parties in elections in many Member States, a change of policy in inevitable. A good example is the migration issue, another one is a probable relaxation of the rules on electro-mobility.

On 19 September, you voted against the EP resolution on the continuation of financial and military support for Ukraine by EU member states. Why did you vote against it? What is the content of this resolution? What are the consequences of this resolution for the European Union?

I am in favour of a diplomatic solution for the Ukraine conflict. The war is lost for Ukraine, and a prolongation is only leading to greater human losses. It is in the interest of the EU to reassess its relation with the Russian Federation and to build a new European security architecture, together with Russia and the United States. A new Cold war and a costly arms race have to be avoided. The EU should abandon its sanctions policy, which is useless and ineffective anyway, and try to get access again to cheap energy supplies from Russia. The EU needs to help with the reconstructions and the economic development of Ukraine.

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Luxembourg MEP Fernandt Kartheiser: For Ukraine, the war is lost