Tarred, feathered and pronounced guilty, Eva Kaili appears certain to be the public face of the Qatargate scandal. But there is something unseemly about the pile-on to declare Kaili persona non grata.
The Greek MEP has not been convicted of any crime – nor has anyone else, as of now – and the indications are that she is one of a group of individuals to be indicted.
In the last four days, the European Parliament’s leadership and many of its political groups have demanded inquiries and new ethics bodies. Yet the institution’s rules on lobbying and financial transparency have been lax for decades.
The Parliament may have a few rotten apples in its midst, but its own rules and oversight are – let’s face it – also rotten.
Last year, Green MEP Heidi Hautala and Socialist Raphaël Glucksmann wrote to the late Parliament President David Sassoli, warning that the assembly was vulnerable to foreign interference and lobbying. They pointed to informal trips and delegations that “continue to serve as vehicles for foreign interference”.
Hautala says they never received a reply.
As an institution, the European Parliament has long had a blind spot about money. Its expenses and office budgets are generous, with relatively minimal oversight.
The result is that there is a small but significant minority of MEPs who treat the Parliament like a cash machine.
Similarly, lobbyists have relatively easy access to EU lawmakers in Brussels. Unlike in the United States, which has hard laws on lobbying, in Brussels, the emphasis is on self-regulation.
A report published earlier this month suggested that Green lawmakers would most likely report meetings they had held with lobbyists. But that system is voluntary. Likewise, MEPs do not have to provide itemised disclosure of money they receive from outside interests.
Meanwhile, the Parliament’s Transparency Register is particularly weak on lobbyists for foreign entities.
Just over a decade ago, MEPs were responsible for a sweeping overhaul of regulation covering the financial sector.
Yet several of the MEPs involved either had directorships or financial links to banks or other financial institutions they were regulating. There was never any suggestion that what they were doing was wrong as it was perfectly within the Parliament’s rules.
Even today, several of the most vocal MEPs on Qatargate are themselves lucratively remunerated for corporate directorships despite being professional politicians with no business experience.
Qatargate has captured the public imagination because it appears to be a classic corruption saga, replete with bags of cash being handed over and stashed by lawmakers and their advisers.
That may be more blatant but it is no less invidious than lavish trips paid for by foreign governments and other conflicts of interest.
The truth is that there is a fine line between straight and constructive lobbying and unethical practices, and many EU lawmakers tread a fine line. This week’s rush for the moral high ground smacks of a collective guilty conscience.
The Roundup
In a deal that will see €6.3 billion in EU funds for Hungary frozen, EU member state negotiators agreed on Monday on an €18 billion macro-financial aid package for Ukraine and a directive to implement a minimum corporate tax of 15% on large multinational companies.
Bulgaria has requested a reference to hate crimes regarding North Macedonia, demanding prosecution of such crimes against ethnic Bulgarians in its Balkan neighbour, in a draft document of European affairs ministers, EURACTIV has learnt.
EU lawmakers voted in favour of a platform workers’ directive compromise text at the parliamentary committee on social affairs on Monday evening – a crucial move after months of complex and divisive negotiations.
While shifting from road to rail is crucial for reaching the EU’s climate objectives in transport, borders between member states are a burden for many train operators, particularly freight transport, a report by the EU Agency for Railways warns.
The European Commission initiated the formal process for adopting an adequacy decision on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework on Tuesday. But the third attempt to underpin transatlantic data transfers is bound to face more legal challenges.
The European Union must explore all avenues to improve the efficiency of fertilisers and close the nutrient loop – including the use of human waste as fertilisers, a top nitrogen expert told EURACTIV.
The European Commission’s proposal for halving the use of pesticides is still up for discussion, Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides stressed after a majority of member states called for a fresh impact study on the ramifications of such a step.
The EU Commission should take more decisive measures to tackle high energy prices, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said in a debate at the European Parliament on Tuesday.
And last but not least, check out this week’s Transport Brief: A ‘dangerous distraction’ for climate action on aviation.
Look out for…
- European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg.
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in EU-ASEAN commemorative summit.
- Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius participates in COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal.
Views are the author’s.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
