A major reform package is being promoted by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in order to prevent scandals like Qatargate in the future.
Roberta Metsola, in a press conference, admitted that the criminal proceedings currently underway over the European Parliament scandal are disastrous for democracy, for Europe and for everything we stand for.
"We must send a strong message to external actors who are trying to undermine us that we will not give in, that we will stand by our values, the rule of law, justice," said the President of the European Parliament.
At the same time, she pointed out that she is promoting a major reform package with the aim of being ready in 2023. As Metsola explained, it will include stronger protection for the European Parliament, a ban on all informal friendship groups, a review of the code of conduct control and "an absolute and in-depth" inquiry into interaction with third countries. Asked by ERT whether it had received "suspicious" approaches from Qatar, Morocco or other third countries, and why the current scandal had to be revealed in order to take decisions to plug existing "holes", the President of the European Parliament admitted that there are "holes", which will however be filled as she noted, citing as an example the activity of former MEPs , who is now on the transparency register or who can enter the EP.
"We have to look at the NGOs that are on the transparency register, those that are not but are used as a front aiming at a source of funding, aiming at ways of action" Roberta Metsola underlined. She also said that she was invited to go to the Qatar World Cup but declined.
"I declined because I have concerns about this country and every opportunity I had - I had two meetings with Qatari government representatives in Brussels during which I received invitations either to attend the World Cup or with an open request from the Qataris to address the parliament - I turned it down."
Source: prototothema.gr
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