Ville Niinistö to chair European Parliament’s Russia delegation, vows to challenge Russia’s human rights issues and militaristic policies
Ville Niinistö, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for his second term, is set to become the chairman of the European Parliament’s Russia delegation. In addition to this role, the Green parliamentary group has also chosen Niinistö to serve as a member of both the Industrial Committee and Defense Subcommittee, and as a deputy member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. These roles will be officially confirmed next week when the European Parliament convenes in Strasbourg for a plenary session.
The delegations of the European Parliament are tasked with maintaining the Parliament’s relations with other countries and regions. Chairpersons of the delegations wield significant speaking power as representatives of the European Parliament. However, the Parliament has not maintained relations with the Russian Duma since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine in 2014.
According to Niinistö, during this time, the Russia delegation can be used as a platform to challenge Russia’s human rights issues, authoritarian development, and militaristic policies. “As the chairman of the European Parliament’s Russia delegation, I intend to be an active voice in challenging Russia’s dismal rule of law and human rights situation, as well as criticizing Putin’s war policies,” Niinistö states.
In addition to these issues, Niinistö states that the delegation’s focus will also be on helping Russian political prisoners and supporting the country’s opposition and non-governmental organizations. He also plans to actively promote sanctions against Russia.
Earlier, it was reported that other Finnish MEPs have been given new roles in the European Parliament. Li Andersson has been announced as the upcoming chairperson of the Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee. Anna-Maja Henriksson has been selected as the deputy chairperson of the Parliament’s Renew group, which includes the Swedish People’s Party and the Centre Party from Finland.