You might have heard us complain about the European Parliament’s weak ethics system before. That’s because we believe democratic systems should have effective safeguards against undue influence.
The European Parliament’s patchy defences against undue influence provide multiple points of entry for those wishing to sway decisions from the shadows. This not only poses severe risks to the EU’s democratic legitimacy, but also to our climate.
Since the Parliament continues to refuse to take this seriously, we’ve now put together this guide, showing just how easy it is to avoid transparency when accessing EU parliamentarians, as well as the potentially dire consequences of this lax regulatory framework for our climate. But it’s not like this is new information. In fact, our own analysis shows the myriad of potential conflict-of-interest risks present in EU Green Deal legislation.
To play with democratic safeguards is to gamble with our climate. 2023 was officially the hottest year on record, and for 2024, shadow actors cannot be given a chance. With time to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees rapidly running out, the European Parliament must demonstrate it is committed to tackling threats to our climate—as well as those to its own democratic legitimacy—and close these loopholes once and for all.
If you’d like to keep our guide, download it for yourself here.
