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Many EU lawmakers have taken belated transparency measures in mild of the Qatargate corruption scandal that rocked the European Parliament, Transparency Worldwide evaluation printed Wednesday exhibits.
Transparency Worldwide EU has analyzed all third-party occasion (or “journey”) declarations submitted by MEPs because the begin of the present parliamentary time period in 2019, in mild of the Qatargate scandal through which present and former MEPs have been charged as investigators probe whether or not Qatar and Morocco illegally influenced the Parliament’s work.
MEPs should theoretically declare each occasion organized by a 3rd get together, the place their journey, lodging or different bills have been paid for or reimbursed by a 3rd get together, “no later than the final day of the subsequent month following the ultimate date of the member’s attendance on the occasion,” in accordance with a rule established in 2013.
However, in observe, many lawmakers haven’t adhered to this rule, to this point.
And strikingly, the variety of declarations submitted spiked considerably proper after the Qatargate revelations.
Out of a complete of 321 declarations submitted throughout the first three-and-a-half years of the present parliamentary time period, 103 (32 p.c of all declarations) have been submitted throughout the two-month interval because the Qatargate story broke on December 9 2022, the evaluation finds.
Of these 103 declarations, 69 have been late declarations (67 p.c), in accordance with the findings.
MEPs are “dashing to publish declarations about their attendance at occasions paid for by third events — higher often called freebies or junkets,” following the scandal, wrote Raphaël Kergueno, senior coverage officer at Transparency Worldwide’s EU integrity staff.
The evaluation additionally broke down all of the submissions by political teams, displaying that the Socialists and Democrats group submitted late 27 of its 45 complete declarations throughout the parliamentary time period; whereas the European Individuals’s Get together had by far the most important variety of occasion declarations total (113) and in addition essentially the most late submissions by complete quantity (30).
The S&D group was hammered by the Qatargate scandal, with a number of MEPs — together with a Parliament vp — arrested, whereas the EPP has tried to make political capital from it.
MEP José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, from the Renew Europe group, filed essentially the most declarations post-Qatargate, the evaluation exhibits. Bauzá Díaz didn’t instantly reply to a POLITICO request for remark.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola floated an preliminary 14-point record of reforms to beef up transparency and integrity guidelines at first of the yr, and Parliament leaders endorsed preliminary reform steps based mostly on that.
Nonetheless, Transparency Worldwide concluded that whereas Metsola’s reform proposal is “a giant step in the best path,” it doesn’t go far sufficient.
“This newest flurry of scandal-driven transparency exercise demonstrates as soon as once more that the Parliament is incapable, unwilling, or each to implement its personal ethics guidelines. Self-policing doesn’t work. The system isn’t match for goal,” the report mentioned.
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