Bribery in Brussels. A scandal that has forced some MEPs to resign. The scoop, revealed on March 22, and some journalists from the British newspaper The Sunday Times that they are fake lobbyists for eight months and have offered bribes to sixty MEPs to push through amendments in the vote. In 4 have accepted it, and anything but mind-boggling figures.
And now comes the response of the Parliament, which has announced to strengthen the code of conduct of MEPs and the rules governing the activities of lobbyists. Response also necessitated by the demands investigation OLAF (Office of the European anti-fraud). The journalists posing as lobbyists have given money to 60 Euro MPs to introduce amendments.
They agreed on four, both the right and left: the Austrian Ernst Strasser and Spaniard Pablo Zalba of the popular group, Adrian Severin, Romanian, and Slovenian Zoran Thaler of the Socialist Group. And to think that there are three former ministers (Interior Strasser, Thaler and Severin of Foreign Affairs).
The fact is that the four unfortunates were recorded by British journalists even as they agreed to sell for a mess of pottage. Several reactions of the ladies. If Strasser and Thaler have preferred to keep quiet and resign to avoid public shame, Severin said he was ready to report in the Sunday Times journalists coinvinto have not done anything wrong.
According to British newspaper, in fact, the Romanian deputy believes it has done "nothing more than advice, a fee of course. Severin reports that on Sunday announced his zeal even with a text message: "Just to let her know that she wanted the amendment was submitted on time." Price € 12 thousand.
Severin, for its part, considers to be the victim of a conspiracy for his positions to the European Parliament that "most disturbing". The more picturesque the reaction of the fourth deputy, Spanish Zalba, which is justified by saying that I have sinned "naivety" towards a "lobbyist (actually a journalist, editor's note) very nice" and that, however, he "had not yet taken a penny." The fact is that the scoop of the Anglo-Saxon newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch and new campaigns to fan the flames of a Eurosceptic, nevertheless made the center, sparking a real bomb in Brussels.
A scandal that threatens to reach out to other institutions. As stated in a press release OLAF, the European Parliament would "temporarily refused to allow investigators ingressoo" to a problem of interpretation of EU treaties. According to Olaf, which is driving there for a few months the Italian Giovanni Kessler, "the investigation of MEPs are the responsibility of the Office for European anti fraud at least three reasons: the story may cause damage to the reputation of European institutions, it is a matter of public interest, there is a risk that potential evidence can be destroyed.
" Just today, the Speaker of Parliament Jerzy Buzek made a half step back and accept that Olaf investigate but maintaining the ban on access to the premises of Parliament. In short, it's good to investigate, but not too much and especially not too close. Meanwhile, political groups have tried to do to clean them to better and better.
In a tough reaction from Martin Schulz, leader of the Socialists and Buzek has been designated to succeed to the presidency, which has decreed the suspension of the Socialist Group Adrian Severin called for his resignation ready. "Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, Severin has an important position in both his country and internationally, and knows exactly what this implies politically and morally." According to Andy Rowell's Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (Alter Eu), this scandal was inevitable: "Politicians in Brussels have too cozy relations with lobbyists of big business.
What came to light could be just the tip of the iceberg. " 
And now comes the response of the Parliament, which has announced to strengthen the code of conduct of MEPs and the rules governing the activities of lobbyists. Response also necessitated by the demands investigation OLAF (Office of the European anti-fraud). The journalists posing as lobbyists have given money to 60 Euro MPs to introduce amendments.
They agreed on four, both the right and left: the Austrian Ernst Strasser and Spaniard Pablo Zalba of the popular group, Adrian Severin, Romanian, and Slovenian Zoran Thaler of the Socialist Group. And to think that there are three former ministers (Interior Strasser, Thaler and Severin of Foreign Affairs).
The fact is that the four unfortunates were recorded by British journalists even as they agreed to sell for a mess of pottage. Several reactions of the ladies. If Strasser and Thaler have preferred to keep quiet and resign to avoid public shame, Severin said he was ready to report in the Sunday Times journalists coinvinto have not done anything wrong.
According to British newspaper, in fact, the Romanian deputy believes it has done "nothing more than advice, a fee of course. Severin reports that on Sunday announced his zeal even with a text message: "Just to let her know that she wanted the amendment was submitted on time." Price € 12 thousand.
Severin, for its part, considers to be the victim of a conspiracy for his positions to the European Parliament that "most disturbing". The more picturesque the reaction of the fourth deputy, Spanish Zalba, which is justified by saying that I have sinned "naivety" towards a "lobbyist (actually a journalist, editor's note) very nice" and that, however, he "had not yet taken a penny." The fact is that the scoop of the Anglo-Saxon newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch and new campaigns to fan the flames of a Eurosceptic, nevertheless made the center, sparking a real bomb in Brussels.
A scandal that threatens to reach out to other institutions. As stated in a press release OLAF, the European Parliament would "temporarily refused to allow investigators ingressoo" to a problem of interpretation of EU treaties. According to Olaf, which is driving there for a few months the Italian Giovanni Kessler, "the investigation of MEPs are the responsibility of the Office for European anti fraud at least three reasons: the story may cause damage to the reputation of European institutions, it is a matter of public interest, there is a risk that potential evidence can be destroyed.
" Just today, the Speaker of Parliament Jerzy Buzek made a half step back and accept that Olaf investigate but maintaining the ban on access to the premises of Parliament. In short, it's good to investigate, but not too much and especially not too close. Meanwhile, political groups have tried to do to clean them to better and better.
In a tough reaction from Martin Schulz, leader of the Socialists and Buzek has been designated to succeed to the presidency, which has decreed the suspension of the Socialist Group Adrian Severin called for his resignation ready. "Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, Severin has an important position in both his country and internationally, and knows exactly what this implies politically and morally." According to Andy Rowell's Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (Alter Eu), this scandal was inevitable: "Politicians in Brussels have too cozy relations with lobbyists of big business.
What came to light could be just the tip of the iceberg. "
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