Ethics in the EP

A “Code of Conduct” that establishes principles and rules to which MEPs must abide to avoid conflicts of interest and – equally important – that sends out a clear signal to European citizens to demonstrate the transparency of the public institution, was approved by the European Parliament during its session on 1st December, with 619 votes in favour, only 2 against and 6 abstentions. Strong signal to citizens. The Code of Conduct, which will come into force on 1st January 2012, “will be a strong shield against unethical behaviour”. The President of the EP, the Pole Jerzy Buzek, declared: “I appreciate highly the wide consensus in favour of the Code, prepared in the record time of only 10 intensive weeks. Today is the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, a perfect day to adopt” the new Code of Conduct. In a briefing to SIR Europe Buzek confirmed that the Code does not only have legal value within the Parliament itself, but is also a clear signal to citizens in this time of difficulty for the process of European integration. But are these rules the most rigorous possible? “They are among the most rigorous rules in Europe”, he replies, also in comparison with similar codes of conduct already in force in national parliaments. “We have adopted severe solutions so as to ensure” “greater responsibility and greater transparency on the part of MEPs”. Preventing conflicts of interest. “From now on – explains a statement of the EP – MEPs will be obliged to present a declaration of interest on all their paid activities outside Parliament and their remuneration, as well as other sources of income (even shareholdings) which might place them in a position of conflict of interest”. The code also contains an explicit ban on receiving payments or other rewards in exchange for influencing parliamentary decisions. Further articles contain clear rules on the acceptance of gifts of a value of over 150 euro. MEPs will be further obliged to declare, publicly and online, “any professional activity performed in the three years preceding their election, as also their membership of any board of a company, non-governmental organization or association”. Every paid activity undertaken during their term of office as MEPs will have to be declared in the case of remunerations in excess of 5,000 euro per year. “Financial support of any kind that could cause a conflict of interest shall be made public”.The sanctions provided. An advisory Committee is being established which will be tasked to make “recommendations to MEPs” on transparency and advise the President of the EP on the measures to be adopted in the case of violations of the Code. Various levels of sanctions are provided: an MEP may be sanctioned with a verbal warning, the loss of the daily allowance from two to ten days, temporary suspension from the Parliament’s activities, and the loss of the role of rapporteur or of other elected posts within the EP. The sanctions enforced will be made public on the website www.europarl.europa.eu. The British MEP Diana Wallis, Vice-President of the Parliament, took part in the drafting of the Code: she explains that it complements the code that already regulates and renders transparent the presence of lobbyists in the EP. “We wished to send out a reassuring message to all European citizens who observe us”, she explains in a briefing to SIR Europe. “Now we will continue to monitor the functioning of this Code and draw up an annual report in this sense”, so as to establish whether the Code has achieved its aims or should be revised and made more severe. “Good and balanced rules”. The need for some rules of this type as a protection against unethical behaviour had long been felt, also in relation to some articles published in the UK “Sunday Times” whose journalists had induced three MEPs to accept cash bribes to present amendments to a report then in the process of going through Parliament. The articles caused a scandal that evidently left a deep scar at Strasbourg and Brussels. Libor Roucek, Czech MEP, he too Vice-President of the Parliament, observed to SIR Europe: “The gulf between EU politicians and administrators on the one hand and citizens on the other is considerable and has grown wider in this period of crisis. That’s why it was important to adopt a Code of Conduct. We did not wish to imply, however, that politicians are corrupt; rules and transparency can on the contrary show that there is a strict morality in political life”. “Good laws – adds Carlo Casini, Italian MEP, chairman of the constitutional affairs commission – also need to be balanced. And that’s precisely what the Code of Conduct achieves. Nor can its symbolic value be ignored. It shows to public opinion in the outside world that the EP is a transparent institution whose aim is to serve the common good and build Europe on the foundations of freedom and justice”.