The European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly (pictured) has said that she still has concerns about an ethics framework introduced for MEPs in the wake of a corruption scandal late last year, despite “significant progress”.

The so-called ‘Qatargate’ scandal involved allegations that non-EU countries tried to buy influence in the European Parliament.

The parliament adopted several changes, including to its Rules of Procedure and to the Members’ Code of Conduct in September 2023.

Call for action ahead of elections

In an assessment, the ombudsman acknowledged “significant progress” in strengthening the rules, but expressed concerns about their implementation and enforcement.

“A credible ethics framework requires adequate resources, rigorous implementation, and strong enforcement, but it is not yet clear that these elements are in place,” she stated.

O’Reilly urged the parliament to put these measures in place as quickly as possible ahead of next June’s elections.

“As the self-regulation model remains largely intact, citizens need to be confident that it can work,” she stressed.

The ombudsman welcomed the inclusion of a more detailed definition of conflict of interest, and the obligation on MEPs to publish all meetings organised with registered lobbyists, and with diplomatic representatives from non-EU countries.

‘Lack of clarity’

She added, however, that three issues remained of particular concern:

• A lack of clarity on how parliament would monitor and enforce the new rules, such as a post-mandate cooling-off period for MEPs and the obligation to register meetings with lobbyists,
• Although the committee that monitors MEPs’ compliance with the Code of Conduct has been given a more proactive role, some details remain unclear – including how in practice the committee will receive and act on ‘signals’ concerning alleged wrongdoing by MEPs, and
• The “inadequate transparency” of the reform process itself, in particular regarding decisions adopted by its Bureau – a body that lays down rules for the parliament.

“The new stronger ethics rules are a good starting point, but the rules are only as good as their implementation and enforcement,” the ombudsman stated.