MEPs to vote on need for effective & powerful body to tackle ethics issues

Today, MEPs will vote on a resolution on the Commission’s proposal for an EU Ethics Body. The Greens/EFA Group are calling for a stronger ethics body with investigative powers and for existing ethics rules to be properly enforced. 

Daniel Freund MEP, Greens/EFA Member of the AFCO Committee and European Parliament Rapporteur on the need for an independent EU Ethics Body, comments: 

“We’ve seen Commissioners walk straight from the offices of the Berlaymont into roles at multinationals and we’ve seen MEPs trying to hide bags of cash under their beds. It’s very clear we need a strong and independent ethics body to police these issues. Unfortunately, the Commission’s proposal would not stop any of these recent scandals.

“The list of existing scandals proves that the self-policing of the EU institutions does not work. Existing rules are not enforced. If the current rules are not enforced, we cannot improve the integrity and accountability standards in the EU. We need a real ethics body that has the tools and the teeth to tackle ethics issues and rebuild trust in the EU institutions.”