Commission proposal underwhelming, underpowered & uninspired

Today, the European Commission has just come out with its proposals for an ‘EU Ethics Body’. The Greens/EFA Group have long been calling for an independent EU Ethics Body that would handle issues of corruption, conflicts of interest and breaches of ethics in the EU institutions.

Daniel Freund, Greens/EFA Group MEP and European Parliament Rapporteur on the need for an EU Ethics Body, comments:

“This proposal the Commission has put forward today is for a body that is not independent, will not have investigatory powers and will not be able to sanction breaches of ethics rules. The Commission has come out with something that is totally underwhelming, underpowered and uninspired after dragging its feet for years.

“We urgently need a truly independent body that will be able to police potential issues of conflicts of interest, corruption and mismanagement across the EU institutions. This is essential for trust in politics and ensuring that decisions are being made in the interest of citizens.

“The Qatargate scandal shows that self-regulation by politicians and officials simply does not work. This proposal doubles down on the idea that institutions should self-regulate, which will not be enough to rebuild trust in the EU. We will not stop fighting for greater accountability and integrity at the EU-level.”

More:

Greens/EFA Group MEP Daniel Freund was rapporteur on the European Parliament report for an EU Ethics Body back in 2021 and led the Parliament’s renewed calls for an EU Ethics Body in the wake of the Qatargate scandal.

Greens/EFA Group proposals on tools to fix the issues uncovered by the Qatargate scandal can be found here.