On the occasion of the first plenary session of the new European Parliament, the anti-corruption pressure group Transparency International called on MEPs to set new standards of integrity and transparency over the next five years. Some 93 MEPs and 18 national political parties have signed the Transparency International EU Anti-Corruption Pledge, committing to greater integrity and transparency in EU law-making, prevention of corruption in EU funding and better protection for whistleblowers across Europe.
Carl Dolan, Director of the Transparency International EU Office in Brussels, said: “The EU’s ability to tackle corruption effectively will have a large bearing on whether the next five years will be a period of recovery or stagnation. Public policy and public money need to be put to work for public and not private interests. The European Parliament has proved to be an effective political actor and now needs to put its weight behind the fight against corruption in the EU.”
TI quotes a European Commission estimate that 120 billion euros is lost to corruption each year in the EU. Transparency International’s recent study of the integrity of EU institutions has highlighted flaws in the transparency of the legislative process at EU level, including the absence of a mandatory lobby register and a lack of information on key negotiations between lawmakers.
Dolan added: “The integrity of law-making at EU level needs to be above suspicion. This is why we are asking Parliament – under the leadership of President Schulz – to follow the lead of the MEPs who signed the pledge and be clear about who is influencing EU policies. A ‘legislative footprint’ should be attached to each European Parliament report, detailing all the relevant input received regarding a piece of legislation.”
