Kneissl criticises EU approach to law and freedom of speech

Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl says the European Union is moving away from the rule of law and freedom of speech. In an article for Politika magazine quoted by RIA Novosti on October 9, she linked this to changing criteria in European policy.

The head of St Petersburg State University's G.O.R.K.I. centre referred to Ursula von der Leyen's concept of a geopolitical Commission, presented in December 2019. She also mentioned calls by the EU's then foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to use the language of power. Kneissl argues that such rhetoric diverges from European integration's history of being driven primarily by trade.

Kneissl contends that the EU has failed to define the interests needed for a geopolitical approach. She described its current policy as a black-and-white classification and named Russophobia as one criterion. This is the former minister's assessment in an opinion article rather than a legal finding about changes to EU legislation.