European Union
EU: Group leaders agree to anti-corruption reforms
The then Vice-President of the EU Parliament, Eva Kaili, is the focus of a corruption scandal. photo
© Eric Vidal/European Parliament/dpa
The corruption scandal in the EU Parliament surrounding former Vice President Eva Kaili has caused a lot of excitement. Now they want to learn from the mistakes and initiate anti-corruption reforms.
After the bribery scandal surrounding former Vice President Eva Kaili, the chairmen of the parliamentary groups in the European Parliament approved reforms to better prevent corruption.
As Parliament announced on Wednesday evening, the reporting requirements for meetings with diplomats and interest representatives from non-EU countries are to be expanded. In addition, a ban on certain “friend groups” with contacts to third countries and greater cooperation with national authorities are planned.
Strengthen integrity with reforms
“These reforms are a fresh start to strengthen integrity, independence and accountability in the European Parliament,” said Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola. The aim is to “restore trust in European decision-making”.
The bribery scandal involving the Greek politician Kaili is about the alleged influence on parliamentary decisions in Qatar and Morocco. Kali and several other suspects were arrested in December. They are charged with involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.
Work on the agreed reforms, which Parliament says is still necessary, should now begin immediately to ensure that they can enter into force as soon as possible. According to Parliament, other medium to long-term measures against corruption are also being considered.