European Parliament suspends work on files involving Qatar
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union parliament on Thursday voted to suspend work on all files involving Qatar and demanded that security passes for representatives of the Gulf country’s interests be withdrawn until light is shed on a corruption scandal that is shaking the assembly.
Shaken by an investigation into political influence money and gifts that has so far ensnared four people, including a vice-president of the European Parliament, lawmakers have pledged to strengthen the financial reporting system and ban donations from third countries.
The commitments came in a resolution passed in Strasbourg, France, by 541 votes for, two against, with three abstentions.
In Brussels, the assembly’s other main seat, parliament speaker Roberta Metsola said work under consideration includes an agreement allowing Qataris with biometric passports to make short visa-free stays in the country. EU. The deal, she said, was “referred to committee for further investigation”.
Metsola said questions have also surfaced about a separate EU-Qatar air deal on which the assembly is to be consulted. Talks have started with the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, to determine whether the deal should be put on hold.
The agreement, signed in October 2021, would allow all EU airlines to operate direct flights to Qatar from any airport in the 27-nation bloc and give Qatari airlines equal access to capitals. Europeans. EU member countries have yet to approve it.
Metsola swore that would not be all. “We will examine everything. We will look at any undue pressure and any undue influence that we see happening,” she told reporters after talks with the 27 national leaders at an EU summit.
The scandal unfolded as Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup. The small, energy-rich Arab Gulf nation has seen its international profile rise as Doha has used its huge offshore natural gas deposits to make the country one of the richest countries per capita in the world. He used this money to fuel his regional ambitions and gain outsized influence on the international stage.
Belgian prosecutors have charged four people with corruption, participation in a criminal group and money laundering, suspected of trying to buy political favors in parliament with money or gifts.
Among them are a former vice-president of the assembly and her partner. Greek lawmaker Eva Kaili remains in detention awaiting a hearing on December 22. His term was terminated by lawmakers this week. His partner, Francesco Giorgi, is a parliamentary adviser.
The heads of two charity groups have also been charged: Giorgi’s former boss Pier Antonio Panzeri, who heads the campaign group Fight Impunity and is a former member of the European Parliament, and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, secretary general of the non-governmental organization No peace without justice.
Metsola promised sweeping reforms in the coming months to crack down on influence peddling in the assembly. This would involve stronger protections for whistleblowers, stricter oversight of the code of conduct and an overhaul of the way Parliament deals with non-EU governments.
Referring to the institution’s transparency register, she said: “Yesterday an NGO called No Peace Without Justice, believed to be linked to this ongoing investigation, which included 11 accredited individuals, was suspended.”
When asked if important legislative files, rather than non-binding resolutions, declarations or texts of a purely political nature, could have been influenced, Metsola said: “I asked for a review of what was voted and worked. I have no information about it.”
German Greens MEP Daniel Freund, a leading ethics lawmaker, hailed his colleagues’ commitment to properly disclose their financial assets.
“If it is possible to verify whether the assets are transparent income or become inexplicably larger, it will deter corruption and make it more difficult to spend illegal money,” Freund said in a statement.
In a separate investigation on Thursday, the European Attorney General requested the lifting of Kaili’s parliamentary immunity due to possible fraud in the management of the allowances received by lawmakers and in particular linked to the payment of parliamentary assistants.
The 44-year-old former Greek TV presenter was not protected by her parliamentary immunity in the corruption case because she was allegedly caught red-handed.