Since joining the European Parliament, MEP Fernand Kartheiser of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) has been the subject of several controversies. These include his calls to make Luxembourgish an official EU language, his video conferences with Russian politicians, and a visit to Russia that led to his expulsion from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group.
Kartheiser has repeatedly defended his trips, describing them as "relevant".
Now the right-wing MEP is once again making headlines. According to Politico, and as previously reported by the Kyiv Independent, Kartheiser invited all MEPs to join him on another trip to Russia in the near future.
The invitation, dated 30 April and also seen by RTL, was reportedly sent to the full mailing list of all MEPs and their assistants, including Luxembourg's five other MEPs.
A statement viewed by Politico read: "We can offer assistance in finding suitable accommodation, and a personal invite to the St Petersburg Economic Forum will follow." The trip envisages a personal meeting with members of Duma on 3 June. Russian president Vladimir Putin is a regular guest at the forum and is expected to attend again this year.
The news outlet contacted Kartheiser to ask if any MEPs had responded to his invitation. In response, Kartheiser said he would stick to his principles: "No names, no numbers, no political alliance. Participants could – as I have done – experience negative consequences. So I will keep it to myself."
The deadline for RSVPs passed on 6 May.
Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius criticised the invitation, accusing Kartheiser of "openly trying to recruit people to work for Russia as informants, influencers, or more."
In Luxembourg, MEPs of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), Democratic Party (DP), Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), and The Greens (déi gréng) made clear that they are currently opposed to this kind of dialogue with Moscow, regardless of the specific invitation. Some also told RTL, when asked, that they had deliberately ignored Kartheiser's message.
