Senior European Union lawmakers agreed on Thursday to go ahead with a major review of the rules governing access to the European Parliament and the way it treats lobbyists in response to a massive corruption scandal, the assembly’s speaker said.
Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola’s plans would prevent former lawmakers from lobbying on behalf of companies or governments soon after leaving office and would make the names of current members who break assembly rules publicly available.
It also seeks tighter controls on all lobbyists and the public listing of any meetings lawmakers may have with them. Random checks would be introduced on lawmakers’ financial disclosures and links to any country outside the 27-nation EU.
“These immediate reforms are the first steps towards rebuilding confidence in European decision-making and launching a broader reform of the European Parliament,” he said in a statement after a meeting of party group leaders. “Our goal is to move fast.”
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Metsola’s team says that some of their proposals could be presented in a few weeks if the political groups agree.
The changes are being considered just a month after Belgian authorities arrested four people accused of corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization, on suspicion of taking money from representatives of Qatar and Morocco to influence the decision-making. decisions in parliament.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola speaks to the media at an EU summit in Brussels December 15, 2022. Metsola on January 2, 2023 launched an urgent procedure for the waiver of the immunity of two legislators after an investigation that is analyzing a political scandal within the European Union.
(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
Lawmakers and officials acknowledge that it is probably the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the EU. Qatar and Morocco vehemently deny any involvement, but the assembly has halted work on all Qatari-related files pending an investigation.
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Many of the suspects are linked to the centre-left Socialists and Democrats. The group believes that the proposals are a good starting point. But the second-largest political bloc in the 705-seat assembly also wants all Qatari representatives barred from entering parliament premises until an investigation is completed, and better protection for whistleblowers who report misconduct, including other measures.
“Some existing regulations in parliament must be reinforced, but we also need new measures and new bodies,” said the group’s leader, Iratxe García. She said her group is determined to work with all parties “to rebuild the trust of citizens and repair the damage done by a few to the credibility of the institution by criminal acts.”
Critics argue that parliament’s rules have been changed before and are simply not being applied.
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“We need more than stopgap measures,” said Olivier Hoedeman of the Corporate Europe lobby watchdog. “We need a strong set of lobbying rules, properly enforced. This proposal misses the mark on key ethical issues and, of course, without strong enforcement, all these measures risk becoming meaningless.”
