Financial news

European Parliament president promises new transparency policies following bribery scandal – JURIST

President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola Monday announced a series of reforms for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).The possible reforms include increasing transparency through various measures such as a revolving door policy. A revolving door policy would impact individuals who leave their government positions serving the public to pursue private interests, often in the very same industries they once served to regulate. Metsola also proposed policies to check the individual interests of MEPs. Additionally, Metsola urged reforms to “push back against foreign interference,” in light of the alleged bribery regarding the World Cup in Qatar. Overall, Metsola called for increased transparency in relations between MEPs and other countries.Metsola called on the European Parliament to work to rebuild trust with their constituents, stating, “Citizens rightly demand accountability and integrity.”The announcement comes after a 2022 investigation into alleged bribery charges brought by Belgian authorities against former Vice President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili and three other suspects. Metsola announced last month that Kaili would no longer hold her position as vice president while the investigation was ongoing. In a speech, Metsola stressed that terminating Kaili’s position as vice president does not take away the presumption of innocence during the investigation.