Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

EU clamps down on corruption in wake of Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal

EU clamps down on corruption in wake of Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal

The Commission called on member countries to strengthen transparency rules.
The European Union on Wednesday promoted new rules to clamp down on corruption across the bloc in the wake of the alleged cash-for-influence Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament.

The initiative, which will need to be signed off on by all 27 member countries plus the European Parliament, is an attempt to tighten rules in the wake of the scandal involving bags of cash and allegedly corrupt lawmakers, which has rocked the EU’s assembly.

But this proposal is not designed to specifically address corruption in EU institutions.

If approved, it would harmonize rules across EU nations, thus covering these institutions in a broad sense. Yet the specific effort to combat corruption in institutions would be done via an ethics body — a separate undertaking already under criticism that it may go too easy on potential wrongdoers.

Some of the provisions in the Commission’s anti-corruption plan, such as protections for whistleblowers, have been eagerly backed by the European Parliament when it comes to applying them to member countries — but have so far been rejected for the Parliament itself.

The Commission on Wednesday called on member countries to adopt common rules against corruption, improve cooperation for cross-border investigations and make it easier to capture criminals by setting up dedicated anti-corruption bodies in all EU countries.

The EU’s diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service, also proposed its own measures that aim to bolster the EU’s ability to sanction third countries over corruption problems.

In a nod to the Qatargate scandal, the Commission’s proposal states that “recent events have served as a reminder that the EU institutions are not immune to corruption.”

In order to clamp down on sleaze, the EU’s executive called on member states to add new criminal offenses to their rule books.

“Today, only bribery is criminalized at the EU level. But with this proposal … we will also cover misappropriation, trading in influence, abuse of function, obstruction of justice and illicit enrichment related to corruption,” said EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson at a press conference.

The proposed rules automatically apply to EU institutions and staffers, according to the Commission’s Vice President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová, while public officials across the bloc will be subject to stricter anti-corruption laws.

“If a high [ranking] politician is found to be corrupted, that would be an aggravating circumstance because that hurts even more into the society,” said Johansson.

But the regulation does not envision special provisions for EU lawmakers, who are under heavy scrutiny since Qatargate broke.

The Commission said Wednesday that its long-stalled proposal for an overarching EU ethics body will be announced later this month amid mounting pressure on Brussels to show it’s taking integrity seriously as corruption allegations continue to swirl.

A proposal is in the works and will soon be debated by the highest-ranking officials of the EU’s top nine institutions, said Jourová.

She added: “This is not a trivial thing. We are going to establish a new body which will deal with highly sensitive matters, not individual cases.’’

The EU’s package is likely to stir controversy among member countries, which have wildly different attitudes toward corruption.

According to a 2022 Eurobarometer survey, 63 percent of citizens in EU countries consider corruption unacceptable.

But that number varies widely from country to country, from 78 percent who considered it unacceptable in Ireland versus just 34 percent in Latvia and 30 percent in the Czech Republic.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×