Epstein Friends in Europe : How the Files’ Revelations Overshadow Europe’s Elite
By: Anneke Pelzer, Reading time: 3 Minutes
Source: Wikimedia Commons, Geoff Livingston
What do Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Mona Juul, the ambassador of Norway to Jordan, and Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the U.S., have in common? They all lost their jobs due to revelations about their connections to the sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. The information being revealed with each publication of the so-called Epstein files has a sphere of influence that extends far beyond the borders of the U.S. When the former prince Andrew was arrested last week for suspicion of misconduct, it became clear that the revelations’ impact reached Europe.
In the U.S., surprisingly little consequences are being drawn from the disclosed information. After all, President Donald Trump himself was friends with Epstein. However, that is not the case in Europe.
The files affect high-rank politicians and officials in several European countries. From Norway to France, connections with Epstein have been unveiled, raising the question of how far does Epstein’s network extend into Europe’s inner circle of power.
Norway has especially a lot to face. It’s former prime minister and former secretary general of the EU-watchdog Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland has been proven to have been in personal contact with Epstein, even after he pleaded guilty for solicitation of prostitution of an underage girl back in 2008. The files show conversations via e-mail where Jagland and Epstein exchange over “extraordinary girls”. Jagland also visited Epstein’s private island, where many of Epstein`s victims allegedly were trafficked. He now faces up to 10 years in prison, after being charged with corruption this month.
He was not the only one that visited Epstein`s private properties: Børge Brende, Norway’s former minister of foreign affairs and now president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, planned a visit to Epstein’s townhouse in Manhattan in 2019. Even though there is no proof that he went on the trip, or was involved in Epstein\s crimes, several appointment logs underline their contact. He claims to not have known of the crimes being committed; however, prior accusations of Epstein’s offenses had already exposed his crimes.
Additionally, Mona Juul, Norway`s ambassador to Jordan, had to resign after the files revealed that her friend Epstein left her children 10 million dollars in his will, that was changed shortly before his death.
Norwegian authorities are now scrambling to draw consequences from three members of its elite being involved and need to find a way to clean up Norway’s image.
Next to Norway, Britain experienced a lot of turmoil after former Prince Andrew was arrested and Peter Mandelson resigned. The popular member of the Labour Party and former ambassador to the U.S. was forced to step down after he was revealed to have been in close contact with Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been under a lot of pressure past week, with voices calling for his resignation after the ties of his important advisor Mandelson were revealed.
But the impact of the revelations spread further across Europe, with other prominent examples being the resignation of Swedish U.N. official Joanna Rubinstein, Slovakia’s former foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák, and former french culture minister Jack Lang. All of them were revealed to have maintained close contact with Epstein, or even visited his properties.
Even countries in which no connections have yet been revealed have now announced to investigate the released documents. Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany will focus their attentions on possible connections of politicians and officials to Epstein. German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said: “We see what is getting revealed in other countries, or rather what effects that has.” Taking into account the influential positions Epstein’s contacts held, chairman of the German Parliamentary Control Committee Marc Heinrichmann pointed out: “High-ranking decision-makers from society, business, and politics were apparently involved in the unspeakable Epstein machinations.” He added that “considerable potential for compromise and blackmail” result from the disclosures. Therefore, he is concerned that decisions were made which are “detrimental to the security of Germany and Europe” and calls for an investigation into this. The french public prosecutor office has now started investigations into the Epstein files and possible crimes committed by French citizens as well.
As a response to the far-reaching impact Europe`s governments are identifying already, several members of the European Parliament have called for Europol investigations and the money laundering authorities of the EU regarding the involvement of European officials and politicians with Epstein and his crimes. However, only time will tell how the situation will play out further. The U.S. government is yet to release the rest of the files it is still withholding. What will be found in those documents and how European officials and politicians will be involved is something we will only learn in the future. Until then Europe has to stay tuned and try to clean up the mess that the files have caused so far.
