As a result of the corruption scandal, the EU Parliament wants to quickly implement reforms for more transparency and stricter lobbying rules. “Our goal is to act quickly,” said EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola today following a meeting with the leaders of the parliamentary groups. She spoke of the first steps of a more comprehensive reform process.
A parliamentary spokesman said the Conference of Group Presidents fully supported Metsola’s reform proposals. The President should now push the work on it.
Metsola’s reform proposals include stricter rules for former MPs who want to lobby in the European Parliament. In the future, all meetings of MPs with third parties that are related to a report or a resolution should also be made public. The discredited friendship groups with third countries, in which MPs maintain informal relationships with certain countries, are to be banned.
A corruption scandal shook parliament in December. The Belgian judiciary has accused the now deposed Vice President Eva Kaili and other suspects of involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption. It is regarding alleged influence on political decisions from abroad.
