John Keiger John Keiger

Brexit’s critics are strangely quiet about the European parliament scandal

(Credit: Getty images)

The corruption scandal embroiling the European parliament and the European Union’s institutions at the highest level is shaping up to be its biggest to date. Belgian police have arrested Eva Kaili, a vice-president of the parliament, and three others in an investigation into alleged bribes involving spectacular sums in cash, allegedly from Qatar, to influence EU officials and parliamentary voting.

‘The shockwave of ‘Qatargate’ is Le Monde’s take on a story it says threatens to ‘destabilise Europe’s institutions’. This isn’t an exaggeration: the probe ripples out to the whole progressive ecosystem surrounding the parliament. Among the suspects, according to the BBC, is former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who now manages the human rights group Fight Impunity. The European parliament has scheduled an emergency debate and has already stripped Kaili of her roles, which involved relations with the Middle East.

The EU’s most vocal critic, Viktor Orban, is gloating at the story

Collateral damage is already visible. Before the scandal broke, France’s president Emmanuel Macron was set to make good his promise to fly to Qatar as Les Bleus play Morocco in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. This was already controversial given the calls to boycott Qatar. Demands for Macron to cancel his trip are growing. The EU’s staunchest supporter could be confronted with double embarrassment if he refuses. Macron, who is already under investigation for his presidential campaign expenses, could find France’s arms sales to Qatar float to the surface just as he is facing serious political and social unrest at home. 

Meanwhile the EU’s most vocal critic, Viktor Orban, is gloating at the story. ‘Good morning to the European parliament!’, he tweeted in English sarcastically: ‘And then they said the EP (European parliament) is seriously concerned about corruption in Hungary.’  The tweet carried a photo of former American presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush bursting into laughter.

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John Keiger
Written by
John Keiger

Professor John Keiger is the former research director of the Department of Politics and International Studies at Cambridge.

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