The European Parliament is once again gripped by a scandalous web of corruption, forcing it to confront its shadowy underbelly. On Thursday, Belgian authorities stormed into the Parliament, sealing two offices in an explosive bribery probe linked to Chinese tech behemoth Huawei’s aggressive lobbying in Europe.
This audacious investigation has resurrected memories of the infamous 2022 Qatargate scandal, where whispers of bribery and elaborate gifts from the Gulf state aimed to sway parliamentarians ran rampant.
In response to the Qatargate debacle, EU leaders loudly proclaimed their intent to tackle corruption and expose murky lobbying tactics. Yet, a band of right-wing lawmakers, notably those from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola’s political clan, have stymied the push for a robust ethics body that could rein in unchecked lawmakers.
Roberta Metsola has failed once again
At the forefront of this blockade is the formidable European People’s Party (EPP). As the Parliament’s most potent political force, it counts Roberta Metsola among its stalwarts and boasts allegiance from none other than Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s party. With such considerable clout, the EPP has stalled efforts to establish a common ethics body since the dawn of the Parliament’s new term.
Roberta Metsola finds herself at a crossroads, as criticism mounts over her inaction to dispel the opacity that not only fueled Qatargate but now looms large in the Huawei bribery saga. These fresh allegations further illuminate the European institutions’ glaring failure to safeguard representative integrity and uphold the tenets of democracy.
This scandal stands as a stark reminder of the urgent need for transparency and ethics reform, as the credibility of European governance hangs precariously in the balance.
