The new ideas are presented half a year after the huge Qatargate scandal, when several people associated with the European Union Parliament – including Vice President Eva Kayley – were arrested and charged with money laundering and corruption.
Above all, Qatar, as well as Morocco and Mauritania, have been singled out for offering large sums of money to influence various decisions in parliament.
Since then, parliament has quickly launched new rules, for example, access to premises for former members and higher requirements for who meets whom to be held accountable.
common standards
However, the measures have been criticized as too weak – and the same is now true of what Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova is proposing to create an ethics body.
– This proposal to support democracy. Jourova says we must have clear rules that are open to all EU institutions.
The ethics body will set common standards for gifts, meetings and travel, promote a “common ethical culture” and ensure that various EU bodies, such as the Commission, Parliament and the Council of Ministers, share their experiences with each other.
“toothless”
Transparency International Anti-Corruption Organization is not impressed.
“Instead of a body that actively monitors and investigates suspected violations of ethical rules, we get a toothless talking machine without the power to investigate or sanction,” the organization wrote in a press release.
The European Commission called the various parties to a meeting on 3 July to discuss how to set up an ethics body.
In December 2022, Belgian police raided two small organizations working for freedom of accountability and their leaders: a former Italian member of the European Parliament, Pier Antonio Panzieri, and a man who works in parallel as an aide in Parliament. Among the people interrogated and arrested was also the associate of the aide: Greek Member of the European Parliament Eva Kaili.
According to a letter from Belgian federal prosecutors, those arrested have been formally charged with “participation in a criminal organisation, money laundering and corruption”. Panziri struck a deal with prosecutors to tell everything he knew in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Two more members of the European Union Parliament – the Belgian Marc Tarabella and the Italian Andrea Cozzolino – were also included in the investigation. Eva Kylie was held until April, when she was first released with a foot shackle that she no longer needed to wear. She herself maintained her innocence and announced that she wanted to return to Parliament.
Prosecutors have not officially singled out any country for the attempted bribery. But according to Belgian newspapers, it is mainly about Qatar and Morocco.
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