The financing of terrorist organisations through migrant smuggling under the hybrid regimes in Moscow and Minsk

Question for written answer E-001451/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mariusz Kamiński (ECR), Maciej Wąsik (ECR)

The looting of cultural goods and the smuggling of drugs and people are important sources of income for terrorist organisations. In recent years, the EU and its Member States have taken measures to put a stop to such practices[1]. Unfortunately, the EU has made many mistakes in the area of human smuggling by naively assessing the situation on the border with Belarus, by ignoring the hybrid nature of the operations, which also aim to undermine support for Ukraine, and by disregarding internal security issues related to both the infiltration of migrants by terrorist organisations and the income they derive from these activities. Thanks to the efforts of the Polish services, in cooperation with partners from eight countries and Eurojust, the Ahmed Al group, which transferred EUR 30 million in cryptocurrencies to terrorists from Hezbollah and Palestinian Jihad[2], was dismantled.

Moscow's links with Islamic terrorist organisations have been known for decades. The Russian Federation openly cooperates with Hezbollah, for example. The money that goes to terrorists as part of hybrid operations against EU states, organised by Russian and Belarusian special services, serves to further destabilise the Middle East and also threatens the security of Europeans. One can hardly avoid the conclusion that some of the people illegally smuggled from the Middle East to Europe by terrorist groups are also members of those organisations.

• 1.Is the Commission prepared to acknowledge that it made mistakes and ignored security issues in responding to Moscow-inspired and Moscow-directed hybrid operations, in conjunction with Minsk and terrorist organisations, involving migrants at the EU border with Belarus?
• 2.What conclusions will the Commission draw from this situation?

Submitted: 29.7.2024

• [1] For example, by implementing the EU Action Plan against trafficking in cultural goods, or by taking a series of measures - including sanctions - to stop the smuggling of Captagon from the Middle East.
• [2] https://www.rp.pl/przestepczosc/art40846691-grupa-przestepcza-rozbita-pieniadze-z-migracji-plynely-do-grup-terrorystycznych