Six months after "Qatargate": NGOs criticise slow and unsufficient reforms

After six months of debate about what consequences should be drawn in light of the scandal, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Transparency International and LobbyControl have taken stock of the process so far. The grand announcements by the Parliament and the Commission calling for better rules of conduct, stronger oversight and more transparency have so far hardly been implemented at all.

Nina Katzemich, EU campaigner at German NGO LobbyControl declares:

"The shocking 'Qatargate' scandal has exposed the existing gaps in lobbying and transparency mechanisms in the EU institutions. The Parliament initially reacted swiftly and promised to close these gaps. But the balance sheet after half a year is sobering: reforms are in danger of being talked to death or significantly weakened in protracted backroom negotiations. Among others, German EPP MEPs are actively involved blocking necessary reforms, using the scandal instead to stir up public opinion against non-governmental organisations. This is unacceptable and misleading."

Shari Hinds, Policy Officer for EU Political Integrity at Transparency International EU says:

"The European Parliament should stop twiddling its thumbs waiting for an independent ethics body for all EU institutions. Instead, it should put its own house in order by reforming its internal rules. The lack of oversight and sanctions has already done too much damage to the Parliament's credibility. Strict reforms are long overdue. Only a swift, public and transparent reform process will send a clear signal to the voters in the upcoming European elections."

Commenting on the EU Commission's planned "defence of democracy package", Katharine Ainger, researcher on lobbying repressive regimes at CEO, says:

"The EU Commission has set the wrong priorities so far. Instead of a misguided 'foreign influence' law that could negatively impact civil society, the obvious answer to the Qatargate scandal is a robust and mandatory EU transparency register covering all covert lobbying, with adequate enforcement mechanisms."

All three organisations emphasise that covert or manipulative influence on democratic processes is always problematic, regardless of whether it comes from inside or outside the EU. What is needed now is a legally binding transparency register, better rules against conflicts of interest for MEPs and an authority with sufficient resources and competences to monitor and enforce compliance with the rules. The EU Commission's proposal for an ethics body presented today is insufficient. The EU institutions must now do their utmost to regain lost trust in integrity and independence, and to prevent the next lobbying scandal via decisive reforms.

ENDS

For more information or interview requests please contact Sarah Reader, Corporate Europe Observatory's press officer at media@corporateeurope.org

Notes

• Read more about how almost none of the reforms promised in the wake of the scandal have been implemented in Transparency International EU's latest analysis "Qatargate six months on: lots of talk, little action".
• Find out more about the European Commission's proposed directive on 'Transparency of covert interference by third countries' and the need for a legally-binding Transparency Register in CEO's article "Beyond Qatargate: the EU needs a compulsory register that targets all covert lobbying"
• Read LobbyControl's latest update about what the EU institutions are doing to prevent the next scandal "Taschen voll Geld: Was aus dem Skandal im Europaparlament folgen muss" (in German)
• LobbyFacts is a project of Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl and it provides tools to search, sort, compare, and analyse official EU lobby transparency register data – from today and dating back to 2012 – to help journalists and researchers track lobbyists and their influence at the EU level.