Corruption

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Jourová: Reforms in Hungary are not yet enough
Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová has praised Hungary’s progress on rule-of-law reforms. The changes adopted to strengthen the independence of the judiciary are “an important step in the right direction”, Jourová said after the General Council meeting in Brussels. Progress was also evident in the fight against corruption and conflicts of interest, she said, but “there […] continue reading →
Anti-corruption agenda: laborious implementation in the EP
After the corruption scandal involving the deposed Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, became public, Parliament President Roberta Metsola set up an anti-corruption agenda. The implementation of her 14-point plan has begun, but is proving slow. This is because changes to the rules of procedure are also necessary. To do this, a legislative text […] continue reading →
Tarabella no longer under house arrest
House arrest has been lifted against two suspects in the European Parliament bribery scandal. MEP Marc Tarabella and Francesco Giorgi, the partner of former EU Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili, will be allowed to take off their electronic ankle bracelets, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office in Brussels said Tuesday. The investigating judge had ruled […] continue reading →
Ethics authority should not be able to punish violations
The Commission intends to adopt the proposal for an overarching ethics authority for the institutions before the end of May. According to information from Table.Media, the concept envisages that the ethics authority will primarily serve the technical exchange on the respective standards, rules and codes of conduct in all EU institutions, including the European Parliament, […] continue reading →
Commission wants uniform rules against corruption
Brussels wants tougher instruments to fight corruption, within the EU but also globally. Corruption is like cancer, said EU Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova in Brussels on Wednesday. If it is allowed to grow, it will suffocate democratic society and destroy its institutions, she said. Jourova appeared with EU External Relations Commissioner Josep Borrell, Home Affairs […] continue reading →
Corruption scandal: Ombudswoman calls for far-reaching reforms
The European Parliament must do more to overcome the corruption scandal involving Qatar and leading MEPs (“Qatargate“), which has still not been fully cleared up, and to restore citizens’ trust. This is the verdict of European Ombudswoman Emily O’Reilly in her new activity report, which she presented in Brussels on Tuesday.O’Reilly said she has no […] continue reading →
Qatar flights: Director General Hololei vacates post
The Commission’s Director General for Transport, Henrik Hololei, who has been under pressure over flights to the Gulf state of Qatar, is vacating his post. Hololei had taken advantage of free flights with Qatar Airways while his department negotiated an air transport agreement with the Gulf state. This came to light after suspicions of corruption […] continue reading →
Stricter lobbying rules for former MEPs
As a consequence of the EU corruption scandal, the European Parliament wants to tighten lobbying rules for departed MEPs. In the future, they will only be allowed to work as lobbyists in the Parliament after a so-called cooling-off period of six months, according to a statement from the EU Parliament on Tuesday. This was agreed […] continue reading →
Qatargate: Trade union federation dismisses General-Secretary
Due to the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has dismissed its General-Secretary, Luca Visentini. The ITUC announced in Brussels on Sunday that the Executive Committee has lost trust in the Italian. Visentini was arrested by the Belgian authorities in mid-December along with five other suspects and was subsequently […] continue reading →
Free Qatar flights: ombudswoman investigates Commission
The European ombudswoman is investigating the EU Commission. The reason for this are the flights and hotel accommodations donated by the Gulf emirate Qatar. In a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, ombudswoman Emily OʹReilly demands information about how the authority “handles requests for business trips by its senior staff that […] continue reading →
Kaili: Two more months in custody
An investigating judge in Brussels ruled on Friday that the former vice president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, will remain in pre-trial detention for at least two more months. It was also ruled that MEP Marc Tarabella, who is also one of the main suspects in the corruption scandal, will remain in pre-trial detention […] continue reading →
Klaus Welle: ‘EU institutions are largely unprotected’
As Secretary General of the European Parliament, Klaus Welle has been one of the most influential people in Brussels over the past 14 years. In an interview with Markus Grabitz, he talks about the next European elections, the corruption scandal and what it has to do with the secret services. continue reading →
Corruption affair: Tarabella in custody, Cozzolino in house arrest
After the European Parliament lifted the immunity of MEPs Marc Tarabella and Andrea Cozzolino (both former S&D) at the beginning of February, the prosecutors in Belgium and Italy have acted. An arrest warrant has been issued for Tarabella, a Belgian, and he has been questioned since Friday. According to prosecutors, the 59-year-old is accused of […] continue reading →
Stricter transparency rules in the EP: further discussions needed
The heads of the political groups in the EP and Parliament President Roberta Metsola were unable to agree on stricter transparency rules yesterday evening. The basis of the discussions was a catalog of 15 points, which is available to Table.Media.Accordingly, in the future, information about the MEPs should be visible in a prominent place on […] continue reading →
Methane bill: lobbyist involvement?
There is evidence of direct lobbying on a Parliamentary report on a Fit for 55 legislative proposal from the Commission. At issue is Green Party MEP Jutta Paulus’ report on the Commission’s proposal to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector. Methane acts as an amplifier of climate change 28 times more than CO2. The […] continue reading →
How Eva Kaili used the EPRS
In the EU Parliament, the main figure in the corruption scandal was responsible for a panel on scientific foresight. Kaili used the chairmanship of the EPRS for her own political work – and awarded posts to her sister and the quasi-governmental Qatar Foundation. continue reading →
Kaili corruption affair: millions from EU budget for suspicious NGOs
The NGO "No Peace without Justice", whose secretary general is among the four main suspects in the bribery scandal in the EU Parliament, received EU funds amounting to 3.79 million euros over the years. What happened to the money remains unclear. continue reading →
Study: ETS is vulnerable to money laundering
According to a new study by the German Environmental Protection Agency, the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) is particularly vulnerable to money laundering. The reasons for this are the lack of transparency regulations for market participants and the large proportion of over-the-counter (OTC) trading in the ETS.Due to the rising CO2 prices, the attractiveness of […] continue reading →