Dear readers,
Welcome to EU Politics Decoded where Benjamin Fox and Eleonora Vasques bring you a round-up of the latest political news in Europe and beyond every Thursday.
In this edition, we look at why the so-called Qatargate corruption scandal must lead to a radical overhaul of transparency rules in the EU institutions.
Editor’s Take: A major scandal requires major reforms
Scandals tend to lead to major changes. The Qatargate saga, which could grow wider in terms of the people and sums of money involved, may well prompt a sea change in the Brussels lobbying environment – and so it should.
Following the arrests at the end of last week, EU lawmakers have rushed to demand an inquiry and the creation of an independent ethics body. In a resolution passed on Thursday, MEPs also demanded that the EU Transparency Register be strengthened to make sure it includes representatives of non-EU countries.
First of all, there must be an inquiry into Qatargate – the parliament is set to establish its own committee of inquiry – but with the awareness that corruption is one of the oldest games in town and is never going to completely disappear. There will always be a few rotten apples.
But there need to be radical changes and the European Parliament needs to ensure that it repairs at least some of the damage to its reputation. The gleeful tweets from the likes of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to UK Brexiteers underscores just how big a gift this scandal is to those who want the EU institutions to fail.
The first observation is that the self-regulatory approach of the EU Transparency Register and of a European Ombudsman who can make recommendations that are not binding does not work. In this context, there is little point in setting up an ethics body unless it will have real teeth.
Meanwhile, hard law is also needed, and the Foreign Agents Registration Act and Lobbying Disclosure Acts in the United States, which require lobbying firms to name the entities they are working for and publish their contracts with them, are the best model to follow.
While the arrests and investigations into Qatargate have focused on a handful of current and former MEPs and parliamentary assistants, the European Commission should not escape censure. Last September, the European Parliament backed a resolution calling for the creation of an ethics body to assess different kinds of conflict of interests. In response, the European Commission published a follow-up, expressing a wide range of legal concerns regarding such a possibility.
A study published last week by three university professors on ‘revolving door’ cases, where EU officials take lucrative private sector jobs working for the firms they had previously been regulating, dedicated part of their research to reply to the Commission’s concerns, arguing that it is possible to create such a body within the current treaties. In other words, the lack of action on conflicts of interests, which has been extensively reported here and elsewhere, is the result of the Commission’s lack of political will.
The rhetorical response to Qatargate has been laudable, and unsurprising. Speeches are easy to make. For all its critics, the European Parliament is a precious institution. It needs to protect its integrity.
Politics in the spotlight
Welcome to ‘Politics in the spotlight’ EURACTIV’s audiovisual corner of the Politics hub.
Today we share our exclusive interview with Stella Assange, lawyer and wife of Julian Assange. She told EURACTIV that the EU can take more action against criminalisation of journalists.
Another interview, but this time on Qatar gate and EU elections, which can be affected by the corruption scandal, according to the German Green MEP Damian Boeselager. It depends on how systemic it will eventually be.
Who’s electioneering?
New poll test for Tunisia
The last of the Arab Spring countries where democracy has survived, Tunisia’s parliamentary elections on Saturday (17 December) pose a fresh test to its increasingly fragile institutions, 17 months after President Kais Saied’s decision to suspend parliament, dismiss the government and rule by decree.
The elections follow President Saied’s reforms to the national constitution, approved by a referendum on a turnout that, oppositionists say, was much lower than the 30% officially recorded. Under the new constitution, the parliament no longer has the power to impeach the president, to elect a government or draft legislation.
Twelve parties, which currently hold around three quarters of the seats in parliament, as well as opposition civil society movements are boycotting the polls, and a tiny turnout is expected. The country’s main trade union, the Union Générale des Travailleurs Tunisien, is also opposing the elections.
Capitals-in-brief
France sees slight drop in electricity and gas consumption. Electricity and gas consumption has decreased by 9% and 10.5%, respectively compared to last month, according to the latest data from electricity and gas network operators. Gas consumption in the country also saw a significant drop, with consumption from 1 August to 11 November dropping 10.5% compared to the same period in 2018, the country’s natural gas transmission system operator GRTgaz reported. The drop can be explained by the 22.1% and 14.1% drop in industry and household consumption, respectively.
UK ministers hail progress towards Gibraltar deal. Britain and Spain have made “significant progress” in talks over an agreement to secure Gibraltar’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday.
Spanish government dashes hopes of ‘Montenegro-style’ referendum for Catalonia. The government on Wednesday dismissed any prospect of allowing for a “Montenegro-style” referendum on Catalonia’s self-determination, despite the repeated calls from all Catalan pro-independence forces sitting in parliament.
Inside the institutions
Xmas Council. EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine, the war’s effects on energy policy and the economy, security and defence, the EU’s southern neighbourhood and external relations.
EU Sovereignty Fund will be proposed next summer, says Commission chief. Ahead of Thursday’s (15 December) meeting of EU leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a proposal for a European Sovereignty Fund to support European industry’s green and digital transition would be presented next summer.
EU-Qatar graft scandal uncovered by year-long, pan-Europe probe, Belgium says. Belgium’s intelligence service worked closely with other European countries for more than a year to uncover the graft scandal now rocking the European Parliament, the justice ministry said on Wednesday (14 December).
What we are reading
- The Qatar World Cup Is peak ‘sportswashing.’ But will it work? asks Spencer Bokat-Lindell for The New York Times.
- A milestone for fusion power. More investment should be committed to translate the promise into a power station, writes the Financial Times editorial team.
- The Guardian view on the Channel migrant deaths: desperate people deserve better, by the editorial team.
The next week in politics
- Winding down for Christmas. Ministers will gather for an EU Energy Council on Monday and an Environment Council on Tuesday. It’s all quiet in the European Parliament, meanwhile. MEPs will return to Brussels in early January.
Thanks for reading. If you’d like to contact us for leaks, tips or comments, drop us a line at [email protected] / [email protected] or contact us on Twitter: @EleonoraVasques & @benfox83
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
Source: euractiv.com
