MEP Anja Hazekamp (The Left) has submitted a parliamentary question to the European Commission, raising concerns that the International Fur Federation may have used Russian-linked funds to lobby EU policymakers, potentially in violation of EU sanctions. The question, dated 2 July 2026, also presses the Commission on its timeline for a proposed EU-wide ban on fur farming and imports, as demanded by the European Citizens' Initiative 'Fur Free Europe'.
Hazekamp cites a Politico investigation revealing that the International Fur Federation's European policy work was funded through a Liechtenstein trust fund that received money from Russian fur auctions. According to the MEP, the federation's 2023 financial statements show EUR 223,870 from the Russian auction house Sojuzpushnina, of which EUR 216,000 was allegedly used to pay a Brussels-based lobbyist. She asks the Commission to confirm whether these revenues are covered by EU sanctions and therefore illegal, and whether lobbying organisations receiving Russian funds should be allowed to influence EU policy.
The question also references a 2025 meeting between the European Commissioner for Animal Welfare and the International Fur Federation (now merged into Fur Europe) to discuss the 'Fur Free Europe' citizens' initiative, which gathered over 1.5 million signatures. Hazekamp demands to know when the Commission will introduce a ban on keeping and killing animals for fur and on fur imports, as requested by the initiative.
The Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks. The answer will signal the Commission's stance on the legality of Russian-linked fur lobbying and its commitment to the fur ban proposal, which has been pending since the initiative's submission.