Die Linksfraktion, die Ukraine und eine Webdebatte

INFO PRESS on the vote of the EP resolution on the sitution in Ukraine/ sul voto della risoulzione del PE sullUcraina

Bruxelles, 19/01/15

Reports have been circulating on the web that several Members of the GUE/NGL (among them Barbara Spinelli and some members of Die Linke) voted in favour or (Curzio Maltese, SYRIZA and other members of the group) abstained on the joint motion resolution "RC-B8-0008/2015" on the Situation in Ukraine, which was voted on January 15 in Strasbourg. These reports have no foundation: the GUE/NGL Group unanimously voted against the one-sided Joint Motion Resolution of the majority, which aggravates the tensions with the Russian Federation. Unfortunately the approval of that resolution prevented the EP to consider and to vote the GUE/NGL motion ("B8-0027/2015"), which advocated a dramatically different policy.

The argument of those who accuse Spinelli and Die Linke of supporting the Joint Motion Resolution of the majority refers to the information posted on an independent website: www.votewatch.eu. That page shows data which are indeed correct, recording the division within the GUE on single amendments, but not on the resolution as a whole. It is quite common to have differences within each parliamentary group on specific amendments. In particular when discussing such complex, dramatic and far-reaching issues. Quite different would have been in this case a division on the final vote of the Joint Motion Resolution which, however, was not the case. And it is good that there have been no divisions on the final vote, in light of the military action that the Kiev government has launched these days in Eastern Ukraine.