During the EU Enlargement Summit hosted by Euronews, a tense exchange erupted between MEP Marc Botenga of the Left Group and David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. Botenga accused the EU of applying “double standards” in its enlargement policy, comparing it to “Russia’s logic of spheres of influence.”

He criticized the Union for funding NGOs and media in countries like Ukraine and Georgia, arguing that similar actions by Russia are condemned as interference. “If a Finnish minister joins protests in Georgia, it’s called supporting democracy — but if the Russians do it, it’s unacceptable interference,” Botenga said, warning that the EU risks replicating the very practices it denounces in others.