Still reeling from a corruption scandal that resulted in multiple arrests and the seizure of almost 1.5 million euros in alleged bribes from Qatar, the European Parliament could be once again embroiled in an alleged cash-for-influence scandal. Reportedly, Members of the European Parliament were paid to promote Russian propaganda, according to the Belgian prime minister.
Nick Aiossa, Director at Transparency International EU, said, “These allegations of MEPs being paid to promote Russian propaganda, seeking to destabilise European democracy, could be more serious than Qatargate. Not only should the Parliament immediately investigate these allegations, but it should finally bring about real reforms to stamp out this culture of impunity that has been left to fester for far too long.”
The allegations are an indictment of the European Parliament’s lackadaisical attitude towards reforms in the wake of the previous Qatargate scandal. MEPs never took the reform process seriously, and as a result, there is still no independent oversight and monitoring of MEP conduct, nor are there any sanctions that effectively deter improper behaviour. If this is not changed, on the eve of the most important elections in the EU’s history, EU democracy will remain under threat.
For press enquiries, please contact EUPress@transparency.org.
