European Heads of State and Government, meeting in Brussels on Thursday 15 December, listened at length to the explanations of Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, about “Qatargate” – the emirate’s attempts to influence the decisions of the European Union – which destabilizes its institution. “ A dozen of them spoke, says a witness. A silence was noticed: that of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who, however, made fun of the setbacks of the Parliament – which had adopted, in September, a resolution concluding that his country is no longer a democracy.
Mme Metsola urgently launched a ten-point plan intended to restore Parliament’s credibility and fill in the many shortcomings highlighted by the Belgian judicial investigation, which was based on a long process of information. The Maltese official mentioned a “package of far-reaching reforms which will be ready at the beginning of next year”.
The president intends in particular to revise the inscription on the register of transparency which obliges to declare all the appointments of the elected officials with outside people – and whose rules are manifestly too loose. It also wishes to control access to the assembly of its former members. They currently have a kind of free access.
More generally, it would mean reviewing the rules to “persons authorized to enter the European Parliament”, namely also the 49,000 lobbyists and the representatives of 12,500 organizations that revolve around Brussels. The representatives of the States received by deputies would also be targeted, who currently do not have to mention these visits.
“Manipulated” structures
Mme Metsola has also declared his will to ban unofficial friendship groups with third countries. Elected officials can create such structures, which today are in no way supervised and are not accountable. The European Union (EU)-Qatar friendship group is therefore not listed on the website of the European Parliament but its composition is, on the other hand, mentioned on that of the embassy of the emirate in Brussels. It has been put on hold since the scandal broke, according to the wishes of its president, Spanish MEP José Ramon Bauza (Renew, liberal) who was in Qatar last week.
During a closed meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP, conservative) which preceded the summit, Mrme Metsola provided his colleagues with further details. In a more alarmist tone, she pointed out, for example, that the issues raised were “systemic” and that certain structures within the assembly were “manipulated”. The president also revealed that she had refused an invitation from Qatar to the World Cup. “Because I have concerns about this country”did she say.
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