European Parliament has 'done a lot of damage' in Europe, says lawmaker

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) – The European Parliament has “done a lot of damage in Europe,” the head of a parliamentary group said on Tuesday.

Ryszard Legutko, who leads the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), lambasted the EU legislature for what he called “shameless partisanship.”

“The bitter truth is European Parliament has done a lot of damage in Europe,” Legutko said at a ceremony held to mark the European Parliament’s 70th anniversary.

“The Parliament infected Europe with shameless partisanship and the infection has become so contagious that it spread to other institutions, such as the European Commission,” he added.

His scathing remarks were in sharp contrast to speeches by several leaders, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, and French Premier Elisabeth Borne, who hailed the chamber and emphasized its importance for Europe.

Legutko also accused the European Parliament of becoming “a political vehicle of the Left.”

“Call it what you will. But democracy, it is not,” he said, drawing applause from certain sections of the audience and jeers from others.

“To sum up, the Parliament represents the demos that does not exist, works for the project that ignores reality and law, shuns accountability, turns its back on millions of people and serves the interest of one political orientation,” he concluded.