Top EU lawmakers say no party is immune to potential corruption
STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Senior European Union parliament officials admitted on Tuesday that a corruption scandal ravaging the assembly’s reputation could have happened to any political group, as Belgian prosecutors focus on lawmakers and an aide to the main centre-left bloc.
Leaders of a number of political groups in the European Parliament have said that corruption inside the house – the EU’s only publicly elected institution – is almost unstoppable, especially if carried out by a few determined members with criminal intent.
German lawmaker Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) – the largest bloc in parliament – said the money-for-influence case had caused “enormous damage to the reputation of this house”. He insisted, however, that “this scandal is not about party politics”.
So far, six people are suspected of links to a criminal gang paid by Qatar and Morocco to influence parliamentary decisions. Both countries deny the allegations. Among the defendants are Greek Socialist and Democrat MP Eva Kaili and her boyfriend Francesco Giorgi, an assistant to another S&D member.
The S&D forms the second largest assembly group with 705 seats. Prosecutors want the parliamentary immunity of two lawmakers in the group lifted. Others have resigned from their leadership positions. A long-time political adviser was also suspended for “serious misconduct related to the ongoing judicial investigation”.
Speaker of Parliament Roberta Metsola has unveiled an overhaul of the assembly’s rules, aimed at preventing former lawmakers from lobbying on behalf of companies or governments soon after leaving office and making the names of former lawmakers public. current members who violate the code.
Metsola also wants tighter controls on all lobbyists and the public listing of any meetings lawmakers might have with them. Spot checks would be introduced on lawmakers’ financial statements and their links to any country outside the EU27.
But it is unclear whether the reforms can change old bad habits. The current rules are already being systematically ignored. Cases of funded trips abroad continue without members reporting paid trips, and few lawmakers are reporting when they receive gifts worth more than 150 euros ($163), as they must.
“There is a lot of preparation when there are a lot of journalists watching what is happening, but very quickly, when the media attention is gone, the will to implement reforms is also gone,” said the leader of the Greens group, Terry Reintke, to journalists in Strasbourg. , France.
Manon Aubry, leader of the far-left group known as La Gauche, agreed that any new rules intended to discourage lawbreakers must be enforced. “Without a stick, there will be MPs who will continue to sell themselves and sell democracy,” she said.
Either way, Reintke said, curbing influence peddling by a few determined people is extremely difficult. “Things like what we saw with Eva Kaili – even when you have more transparency – if you have that amount of criminal energy, you probably can’t 100% prevent them from happening,” he said. she declared.
Kaili was removed from her position as Deputy Speaker of Parliament last month after being imprisoned on suspicion of corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organisation. The S&D appointed Luxembourg lawmaker Marc Angel to replace her. A vote will be held on the matter on Wednesday.
The Greens will not support it. Instead, they promote French member Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield.
So far, opposition groups have mostly avoided taking dirty shots at the S&D, which is launching an independent investigation. Lawmakers, advisers and parliament insiders admit the corruption scandal – the biggest to hit the EU – could well have hit any party.
Nevertheless, the group has a special responsibility to act. “Socialists need to be more committed to solving the problem and that is not the case yet,” said Weber, the leader of the EPP.
Asked by The Associated Press whether she could have done more to prevent S&D lawmakers from straying or voting against party policy, before the scandal came to light, group chairwoman Iratxe Garcia Perez said: “I’m sure we could have done something, but we have to know what we could have done.
The challenge, she said, is to distinguish misconduct from legitimate duties. “If we’re constantly guessing why someone voted one way or not, because there could be a possible connection to corruption, then our job becomes impossible,” Garcia said.
President Metsola hopes the new access and lobbying rules will be in place within a month.