New proposed legislation to criminalise all forms of corruption in all Member States and for "tough penalties" was announced on Tuesday by the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ilva Johansson, during a debate in the European Parliament on allegations of corruption from Qatar and the wider need for transparency and accountability in the European institutions.
In her speech, Ms. Johansson noted that last Friday, which was International Anti-Corruption Day, the Belgian authorities carried out investigations at several addresses in Brussels on suspicion of involvement in organised crime, sabotage and money laundering.
There must be zero tolerance of corruption, he said, adding that this is a crime that undermines democracy and society.
Noting that there is a presumption of innocence, the commissioner said "shame" on anyone who accepts bribery, and that they violate the trust of the people of Europe, and their colleagues who work "hard, honestly and with dignity."
She referred to EU anti-corruption mechanisms, and that, among other things, steps have been taken to ensure that money does not go into the wrong hands.
As a Union, the Commissioner said, "we must learn the hard lessons and take responsibility for ensuring that we have better mechanisms and accountability."
Noting that differences in national laws do not adequately address corruption, she said she would propose in 2023 new legislation to criminalise all forms of corruption in all member states, not only bribery, but also improper use of influence, illicit enrichment, embezzlement and abuse of power, with strong sanctions.
He also said that the Commission continues to support the establishment of an ethics body for all EU institutions, including advisory bodies, so that they all act on the same principles and adhere to the same high standards.
This scandal, Johansson concluded, is not limited to an ethical breach but is a "serious criminal investigation" into crimes, and there is anger and annoyance among both the EU institutions and millions of EU citizens, and now they will have to rebuild trust in the institution that was damaged.
During the debate, MEPs expressed shock, sadness and anger at the "greed of certain individuals" behaving like in a "bad Netflix movie", damaging the image of the European Parliament and "creating a dark shadow on all of us". Corruption is destroying the institutions, they said, making it clear they want to fight to restore trust in the European Parliament. "The criminal behaviour of a few individuals cannot undermine the work of a huge majority" of MEPs working for European citizens," they noted in their remarks."
MEPs called for a full internal investigation, cooperation with Belgian authorities and additional measures to prevent similar cases in the future. Some of the proposals mentioned were better rules on transparency, the addition of third countries to the EU's register of lobbyists, strict enforcement of ethics rules and the establishment of an independent EU ethics body and a separate committee of inquiry.
Several MEPs called for parliamentary delegations to be disbanded and their roles transferred to standing committees.
Source: CNA
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