Transparency International EU has published an initial assessment of the proposed reform measures that will be presented to the Conference of Presidents by President Metsola in the wake of the Qatargate scandal. It is available for download via this link.
Michiel van Hulten, Director of Transparency International EU said:
“These proposals are a big step in the right direction. They contain some long overdue reforms that we and others have been campaigning for for many years. There is a welcome new emphasis on enforcement of the rules – something that has so far been lacking. But there are also major shortcomings. The Parliament continues to rely entirely on self-enforcement of the rules. We know that doesn’t work. We need independent, outside oversight. Too much responsibility is handed to parliamentary assistants. The buck should always stop with MEPs themselves. And there’s no mention of the Special Committee the Parliament committed to set up in its December resolution on Qatargate – we need that committee to ensure that a transparent and public debate on EP reform can take place. The risk as always is that MEPs will seek to water down these reforms. That would be unacceptable.”
