Greens/EFA Group remain steadfast in push for reforming Parliament six months after scandal

Tomorrow marks the six month anniversary of the ‘Qatargate’ scandal, which exposed cases of foreign influence among MEPs in the European Parliament. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has since presented a 14-point plan to address issues of ethics, corruption and sanctions inside the European Parliament. The Greens/EFA Group have long led the calls for higher standards of transparency, accountability and integrity inside the EU institutions and strongly support efforts to reform the rules.

Philippe Lamberts MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group, comments:

“Six months since Qatargate has given us time to reflect but also time to act. It is a question of credibility for this Parliament to right these wrongs and ensure that this house has the highest standards of transparency, accountability and integrity. European voters deserve and demand that the Parliament fix outstanding issues now.

“Our group will remain steadfast in our support for efforts to improve and enforce the rules that protect the Parliament’s integrity and European democracy. Qatargate was shocking but it is also an opportunity to identify loopholes and weaknesses in the system and ensure that all Members of this house act in the interests of the European electorate.”

Terry Reintke MEP, President of the Greens/EFA Group, comments:

“We would like to congratulate the President of the Parliament on the work so far on the rules governing former members and the revolving door. But there is still so much to do. We urgently need to install a proper Whistleblowing regime inside the European Parliament to ensure that witnesses of wrongdoing feel safe and protected incoming forward.

“We expect reliable enforcement of the rules and effective sanctions for those Members who threaten the integrity of this parliament. Parliament needs to be more ambitious regarding enforcement in order to ensure that stronger rules have an impact.”

More:

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